Sonic United
by N. Harmonik
Summary: SEGA Archie Fleetway AoStH SatAM SU Anime Sonic X Crossover. Sequel to "The Great Battle." When RoboRobotnik tries to conquer all the Sonicverses again, only eight certain Sonics can save their worlds...and, unbeknownst to them, their fans' worlds too...
1. Prologue

Sonic United

By N. Harmonik

Authoress' Note: To quote Butler from the sixth Pokémon movie, "I've waited forever for this day!" …Though in my case, unintentionally, I've only waited about two years to post this story ever since the idea for it first came into my mind. Yet the time it has spent within my cranium was not in vain, for though this story has been warped, moulded and twisted beyond recognition, throughout it all, it has been improved. The final result is what you're about to read.

While reading, be on the lookout for references to possible future fics. You'll never know what I'll think up.

And another thing: an overlander is a four-fingered human, okay?

Disclaimer: Sonic, Dr. Robotnik and related characters are copyrighted to SEGA, Sonic Team, Archie Comics, Egmont Fleetway Editions Ltd, DiC, Taki Corporation, ADV Films, TMS Entertainment and 4Kids Entertainment.

SEGA Timeline: Between "Sonic Advance 3" and "Sonic Rush"  
Archie Timeline: Between "The Original Freedom Fighters Part 2" Sonic the Hedgehog #143 and "Love and Loss" Sonic the Hedgehog #144  
Fleetway Timeline: Between "Return to the Death Egg" "Horror in the Haunted Hill Zone Part 2" Sonic the Comic #231 and "Something Wicked This Way Comes" "Return of the Cybernik!" Sonic the Comic #232  
AoStH Timeline: Way after "Sonic Christmas Blast"  
SatAM Timeline: Way after "Doomsday"  
SU Timeline: Way after "Virtual Danger"  
Anime Timeline: Way after "Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie"  
Sonic X Timeline: Between "Eggman for President" and "A Date to Forget"

Prologue

Evil Sonic lay back on his cold, uncomfortable, metal cot with his hands underneath his head, being careful not to crease his leather jacket, scuff his leather boots or hurt his gloved hands with his own spines.

Looking out of his jail cell past the quadruple-layer laser beams, the only objects between him and freedom, the blue hedgehog saw, through the dark tint of his sunglasses, a disheartening, familiar and slightly disorienting sight: Zonic the Zone Cop, sitting at a table, enjoying a lunch consisting of a dozen chili dogs.

What made the scene slightly disorienting was the fact that it was tilted at a 90 degree angle. Such was the nature of the No Zone, a perpendicular universe that ran through every parallel Zone in existence. Some inhabitants of this world chose to make a living as a Zone Cop, a job requiring them to watch over every other dimension in existence and wear (in Evil Sonic's opinion) ridiculous, brightly coloured, armoured suits. Much to Evil Sonic's disgust and bad luck, the Sonic (or rather Zonic) of this world was a Zone Cop.

Evil Sonic had been arrested by Zonic twice: the first time was because he had tricked every Sonic that had participated in the Great Battle into handing their pieces of Giant Borg over so he himself could hand them over to Robo-Robotnik ("Zone Wars: A Tale of Two Hedgehogs" Sonic Super Special #10). Sometime later, he managed to escape while beating up Zonic in the process, only to be thwarted by (of all people) the Antoine of his good twin's world ("Mistaken Identity Crisis!" Sonic the Hedgehog #112). After that last one, security had been upped quite a bit.

Becoming bored, Evil Sonic propped himself up and turned his attention to the hundreds of monitors that were all over the walls (or from his perspective, the floor and ceiling) of the room outside his cell. Each one showed a different Sonic. He quickly found the monitor that showed the Sonic the Hedgehog who had defeated him on one too many occasions.

On the screen, he saw Sonic lying down in some grass, apparently asleep. There was a smirk on his face which Evil Sonic would have dearly loved to wipe off; it somehow felt like he was taunting him.

Just then, to his surprise and bewilderment, the head of an overlander babe with short, brown hair and sunglasses appeared on the screen. The bewildering part was that the head was opaque: he could see right through it! A moment later, Evil Sonic realized why and stood up in shock: it was actually a reflection. She was inside the room.

He whirled around just in time to see the overlander smash Zonic's head onto the table. Since he didn't have his helmet on, he was knocked unconscious immediately.

Without seemingly any effort, the overlander chick picked up Zonic, lifted him over her head and threw him hard into some computer equipment.

Evil Sonic winced as the sound of smashing metal and tinkling glass reached his ears. He whistled loudly; a girl that didn't have any qualms about getting her hands dirty and was a cutie as well; now that was his idea of the perfect babe! He just hoped he wouldn't be next.

The overlander brunette wore a silver, metallic, long-sleeved shirt and boots over a black bodysuit. A pair of crystal earrings adorned her earlobes. She raised a gloved hand (which, Evil Sonic noted, had five fingers instead of four) up to her sunglasses and took them off. Evil Sonic gasped; her eyes were glowing with a pale blue colour. She was an android.

A second later, they fired, destroying several monitors. She turned her head and fired again, this time annihilating some more computer equipment. This process continued for a minute before everything electronic was eradicated, including the device that activated the laser beams.

She then turned her eyes towards the freed Evil Sonic, who gulped and backed away a bit, heart thumping against his rib cage. It looked like he was going to be next after all.

Instead of firing, however, the overlander put her shades back on. Evil Sonic breathed a sigh of relief and wiped a dozen glistening beads of sweat off his blue forehead.

"Hello. My name is Mecha," she said solemnly, not a hint of emotion in her voice to be found. "Father wanted me to come get you."

Evil Sonic frowned."Your father? Who is he?"

"Someone you know," said a voice.

Both the hedgehog and the overlander turned their gaze to the doorway.

An obese overlander stood there wearing a red coat and black pants and boots. On his face were an orange moustache and a pair of round sunglasses. He looked vaguely like an alternate version of Robotnik. Not to mention, unfamiliar.

"I don't know you!" Evil Sonic retorted. "We've never met before!"

"Perhaps this will ring a bell: if you work for me again," he paused, "your evil will be put to good use, my friend."

Evil Sonic's jaw dropped; he recognized that line. "You!"

"Yes, it is I, Robo-Robotnik. Now we must hurry. We have worlds to conquer and people to enslave."

Evil Sonic folded his arms. "If you think I'm gonna work for you again after you threw me into the clink, you've got another thing coming!"

"It was not I who had you thrown in that dungeon, you blue buffoon, it was another version of me ("Zone Wars: A Tale of Two Hedgehogs" Sonic Super Special #10)."

Evil Sonic was incredulous. "Really."

"It's true," replied Robo-Robotnik. "Or are you saying that you'd rather stay here for quite a long time then be free to run around, cause mayhem and destruction, frame your counterparts and eat as many chili dogs as you desire."

Evil Sonic thought for a moment. He did seem to be telling the truth. And anything was better then being cooped up all the time in a narrow space.

For the first time in weeks, a malignant smile lit up Evil Sonic's face. "Alright… I'm all ears!"


	2. A Medical Ward and an Office

Chapter 1: A Medical Ward and an Office

Painfully but surely, Zonic came to. The Zone Cop felt something soft underneath him and figured that he was in a bed in the medical ward. It also seemed like his upper body was being propped up. He moaned softly and tried to recollect his thoughts and memories in an attempt to decipher what had happened while he was having lunch.

Someone must have heard him moan because he then heard a friendly but stern voice say, "Don't move, Zonic; you'll only make your injuries worse."

Zonic's memories suddenly came rushing back to him and he almost sat up in shock. "Oh no!" he exclaimed, eyes opening and widening to the size of dinner plates.

"Can you tell us what happened?" questioned a nearby yellow duck dressed in a doctor's medical coat. "We found you and several others in critical condition, Evil Sonic gone and the entire Monitor Room destroyed along with every piece of surveillance equipment!"

Upon hearing the 'several others' part, Zonic looked around the medical ward and saw, to his astonishment, quite a few of his comrades in a sorry state. And not one of them was conscious.

"I told you that danger was coming but none of you listened!"

Zonic, with a roll of his eyes, turned his head towards the speaker. A brown dog with a large mop of white hair on the top of her head met his gaze. Her clothing consisted of a pair of yellow slacks dotted with green bubbles of various sizes, two brown shoes and a pink shirt.

Both Zonic and Dr. Quack sighed. It was not at all unusual for Pyjamas to have a vision but they always turned out to be wrong…_almost_ always.

Suddenly remembering Dr. Quack's query, Zonic concentrated hard in thinking back. "S-somebody attacked me."

"Was it Evil Sonic?"

"N-no; it couldn't have been him. I kept my eye on him the entire time I was eating my lunch."

"Hmmm…" murmured the doctor, placing his chin on a feathery wing. "…So it's just as we suspected then; there's at least one intruder here at Zone Police Headquarters."

Zonic stared at him in shock, not quite wanting to believe his ears. "But that's impossible! We have the most advanced security in the entire Cosmic Interstate! Nobody can infiltrate this place without being detected! Isn't there any evidence that could identify the trespassers?"

"None that we have found at the moment," answered Dr. Quack gravely.

"Ahem."

Zonic and Dr. Quack slowly looked towards the slightly annoyed dog once more. "Aren't you two forgetting something?"

"Like what?" asked Zonic as politely as his throbbing cranium would allow him.

"When I was having my vision…"

"Alright, alright!" cried Zonic in frustration. "You were right for once! You don't have to rub it in!"

"Let me finish, will you? When I was having my vision, didn't I mention that the culprit would be a female human?"

"You also said that there would be lights coming out of her eyes too," countered Zonic. "Face it, Pyjamas; your visions may be right to a point but they're never completely correct!"

**Wham!**

The ward door flew open, slamming against the wall. The duck, the dog and the hedgehog jumped (rather painfully in the last one's case) as a grey ram ran in and skidded to a halt at the foot of Zonic's bed.

"Zonic, Professor Caninestein found a security tape that wasn't as badly damaged as the others. You need to come and see it!" said the sheep breathlessly.

The majority of the sheep's wool was covered by the beige cloth of a pair of pants and matching shirt which were in turn covered by a red vest. Black boots and gloves completed the outfit.

Dr. Quack glowered at him, not appreciative of the ram's rude entrance and request. "Do you mind, Ari? I have several critically injured patients here! And Zonic's certainly not fit to put himself under any more stress by…"

"Hold on, Dr. Quack…" interrupt Zonic as he keenly leaned forward as painlessly as he could. "This could be more important then we realize. Let me go see the tape."

"Indeed," agreed Ari, "I haven't seen the contents of it but Professor Caninestein told me that it's a matter of utmost urgency that Zonic watch this. He said we won't just find out who the interlopers were but what their motives were!"

The strict doctor thought about this for a moment then reluctantly gave in. "Alright…" he sighed, "I'll get a nurse to set up a wheelchair for you, Zonic. But you have to promise not to strain yourself too much."

"I won't, Dr. Quack," replied Zonic exasperatedly.

"Oh, by the way," Ari butted in, "Professor Caninestein did mention one thing about the contents of the tape. He said there was an android that resembled a female human with eye-lasers for weapons on it."

Both Zonic and Dr. Quack turned to stare at Pyjamas who had a small but triumphant smile on her face. "What were you saying about my visions always being wrong?"

Ari was confused. "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing, Ari," answered Zonic. "Nothing much."

* * *

You would have needed a chainsaw to cut the tension in the room. It was unbearable being stared down by Victoria Hollingsworth, the blond-haired, ill-humoured young adult of a bi-leader of the Neutral Zone. The quartet of teenagers, whose names were Lance, Tiffany, Flynn and Mavis, sitting in front of her desk were not used to it, even though they had often received that same frosty glare before… Heck, nobody was used to it. How Victoria did it, no-one knew.

"So!"

The four of them jumped in their seats as Victoria's sharp snap rang in their ears like a gunshot.

"So," she repeated, "let me get this straight: you four thought it'd be pretty amusing to go to New Megaopolis to pull a prank on Robo-Robotnik and bring one of the Omochao along to help, despite his protests."

The foursome nodded vigorously, too petrified to open their mouths.

"However, Mecha got the drop on you and had you captured, forcing me to send out a rescue squad to come and liberate you."

More nods.

"And I bet you think that since you all got away uninjured, everything's alright."

They nodded, yet more reluctantly than before, knowing that something was wrong and they'd get yelled at, no matter how they answered.

And they were right.

"Wrong!" bellowed Victoria. "Omochao's systems have just been scanned and we found out that every single bit of information stored within him has been copied while he was out cold! You hear that! Every – single – bit – of – information!"

If possible, the quartet's faces became paler. And for a good reason; every Omochao in the Neutral Zone had near-infinite amounts of data on the eight Sonic Primes and their respective universes. If any of them got into the wrong hands…

**Beep! Beep! Beep!**

A small, black device on Wilson's desk started making a continuous beeping sound. Not bothering to ask the foursome to wait, Wilson turned towards it, put on a pair of headphones with a tiny microphone attached and pushed a button on the gadget, causing the beeping to come to a stop.

"Victoria Wilson here… Hm-hmm… Yes… What!" she shouted the last word, standing up from her chair, her face a picture of shock for once. "Do you mean to say…? Oh really." At this point, she looked at the quartet with a dangerous look in her eyes. "Yes… I'll get right to it at once." She hung up.

She took off the headphones and gazed at the four teens with that same fierce gaze. No-one spoke for a long time.

When Victoria finally broke the silence, her voice had taken on a dangerous tone. "You have done some incredibly stupid things in your times spent here…pulling pranks…daring each other to do dangerous stuff…wandering into Bertie's sector of the Neutral Zone…but this takes the Valentine cake, the birthday cake, the Easter cake, the wedding cake and then some. In short, you four are so over your heads in deep doo-doo."

The four adolescents gulped. Now they were in for it. Victoria rarely used her modified version of the "takes the cake" comment but when she did, you could wager that someone was going to get it.

"I'd discipline you four immediately…if it weren't for the circumstances your foolishness has brought about. So until things are put right again, your punishment is postponed."

This brought mixed responses. Mavis fainted while Tiffany cried, "What?" Flynn poked a finger in his ear, convinced he had heard wrong and Lance gaped. Their punishment was postponed… They didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. The latter being due to the fact that this happened only when billions of people's lives were at stake.

"Thanks to your idiocy," explained Victoria, "it seems that Robo-Robotnik is once again attempting to conquer every dimension in existence…starting with the other seven Sonic Primes' zones. And he has already begun by attacking the No Zone's base of operations so their ability to travel to other worlds is temporarily impaired. Which means we need to summon all eight Sonic Primes ourselves. Dismissed."

There was a moment a silence while the three who were still conscious took this all in. Unfortunately, it was a little too long for Victoria's taste.

"Well!" she screamed. "What are you waiting for? Get going!"

With a "Yes, ma'am!" a "Right, ma'am!" and a "Sorry, ma'am!" they ran out of the office (with the exception of Mavis who had to be carried out) as fast as their legs could carry them.


	3. Octuple Trouble

Chapter 2: Octuple Trouble

SEGA Sonicverse

**Whoosh!**

With incredible grace and agility, Sonic easily leaped from one building of Central City to another, causing anyone down in the streets who noticed to applaud.

Hearing an airplane rotor overhead, he looked up and grinned when he saw Tails flying the blue biplane known as the Tornado II.

"Hey there, Tails! What's up? Besides you and the Tornado II, I mean." He chuckled at his own joke.

Himself smiling, Tails manoeuvred the aircraft as close as he could to Sonic while the blue hedgehog continued to do astounding acrobatics.

"I thought I'd test this new engine I installed," explained Tails. "It's going to be useful if the Tornado II gets stuck in normal mode again."

Sonic laughed, recalling how the Tornado II had taken a hit from another one of Eggman's machines the last time the mad doctor attacked and had been, consequently, unable to transform into a more combat-suited mode. Good thing he had been around to get Tails out of that sticky situation.

Just then, Tails looked up and saw that the blue hedgehog was heading for a large gap, impossible to leap across, in between the buildings up ahead. "Sonic, stop!"

"Don't worry, Tails," declared Sonic as he continued to speed right along. "If I fail to jump across, I'll use this!" He held up a fist-sized red crystal that had a flat top and a pointed bottom. When held up to the sunlight, it seemed to sparkle with a life of its own.

"You mean you'll use Chaos Control if you don't make it?"

"Right. I'll just tap into this Chaos Emerald's power and teleport to the other side instead!" Sonic was nearing the edge now so he started to prepare himself mentally and physically.

"Here I go! Don't try to save me, Tails!" With that, he dashed off the roof and into thin air. When he found he wasn't going to make it, he groped for his Chaos Emerald…only to discover that it wasn't on his person anymore!

Looking behind him, Sonic spotted the Chaos Emerald lying on the rooftop where he had dropped it. He looked down and saw with horror that he was going to land in a dumpster some seven stories below.

Or he would have, that is, if he hadn't disappeared in a brilliant flash of light.

Upon seeing it, Tails looked to the other rooftop, expecting his former idol to reappear. Yet he didn't.

"Huh? Where is he?" Tails questioned. "Did he accidentally rematerialize someplace else?"

Tails searched around a bit then, deciding it was pointless, turned around to go back to his workshop in the Mystic Ruins.

"I hope Sonic's okay…wherever he is."

* * *

Archie Sonicverse 

"(pant, pant) Gotta…get…away!"

As fast as he could weave between the wooden buildings of Knothole City, Sonic sprinted madly. Behind him, he could hear the cries of his pursuers. Fear kept his legs pumping as Sonic sought to put a safe distance between them and him.

"How did they do it?" thought Sonic out loud as he avoided some pedestrians. "Just when I thought I was safe: bam! They came out of nowhere and tried…"

Sonic never got to finish his sentence for at that moment, he tripped on a rock which he had failed to notice because he had chosen to look over his shoulder in that particular second.

He swiftly stood up…and realized he couldn't hear their voices anymore. He looked around, afraid that this was a trick to make him let his guard down. After a few minutes of silence, with the exception of the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, Sonic relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

But then he heard their voices again.

"Oh no!" He scrabbled to hide behind a large tree but it seemed futile; they seemed to be coming at him from at all sides.

"I'm trapped like a rat!" He fervently wished he could vanish into thin air.

Which he actually did, albeit with a flash of light.

A few seconds later, Sonic's hunters came to the spot where he had previously been and stood around in bafflement.

One of them spoke up. "That's odd… I could have sworn I heard his voice coming from here."

"Me too."

"Word up."

"Hey, I think he went that way!"

Once again, the girls gave chase, not willing to let up until Sonic had given each and every one of them his autograph.

* * *

Fleetway Sonicverse 

**Ping!**

**Puncture!**

The sound of a peanut bouncing of a pop can, almost immediately followed by the resonance of a cross bolt making contact with the container reached Sonic's ears as he leaned casually against one of the many, cylindrical, beige-coloured buildings of the gorgeous Emerald Hill Zone.

Overhead, Tails whirled his two namesakes faster in wonderment. "Wow! That was amazing, Amy!"

The pink hedgehog took off her blindfold and smiled at the young fox. "Thanks, Tails! I guess this means I really can beat the bad guys with my eyes closed!"

Amy's clothing consisted of a red headband that went well with her red and white shoes, along with a purple pair of slacks and a light blue jacket. Attached to her gloved wrist was a small crossbow.

Sonic had rolled his eyes when he had heard the fox's compliment. You've always had a knack for stating the obvious, Pixel Brain, he had thought. Sonic didn't want to admit it but Amy Rose's skill with her crossbow _was_ impressive, though, in his opinion, not quite as impressive as being able to shatter the sound barrier just by running.

However, she didn't earn the nickname 'Aim' for nothing, just like he wasn't called 'Sonic' for naught. After all, she had just done quite a feat: hitting a pretend enemy by using only her ears as Tails dropped a peanut on one of many soda cans to see if she could perforate the correct one.

Amy replaced her blindfold and patiently waited for Tails to drop the next peanut. As he did so, however, Sonic cheekily decided to play chicken by standing in front of the can that the peanut was going to hit.

**Ping!**

Quick as lightning, Amy took aim and fired.

The cross bolt missed Sonic but not because he had moved out of the way in time; it was because he had disappeared in an intense flash of light.

Upon hearing the rewarding sound of a cross bolt piercing the hull of a soda can, Amy Rose took off her blindfold once more.

"Are you impressed yet, Sonic…? Sonic?" Amy repeated, looking around for the blue hedgehog.

"I-I think I saw him vanish into thin air, Amy!" said Tails in shock.

Amy smiled. "Must have been the Omni-Viewer teleporting him. He must have been in a real hurry if he didn't tell us what he needed Sonic for."

* * *

AoStH Sonicverse 

"Welcome to Bert's Diner. May I please take your order?"

"A dozen chili dogs, please," replied Sonic. "And the same for my little buddy here," he continued, pointing at Tails, "only with extra cheese."

The very strange-looking 'waiter' took a second to take this all in then trotted off. The reason why its appearance was bizarre was because it was a robot…if that's what you could call it. With a large, grey, beaked head for a body and adjoining, reptilian, green arms, legs and head, it indeed looked pretty weird; not that the customers cared.

The blue, teenage hedgehog and the brown fox cub were being served at Bert's Diner, home to (in Sonic's opinion) the best chili dogs on Mobius. It was crowded in the small diner but Sonic and Tails loved the food served there too much to mind.

"Sonic," piped up Tails, "after we eat, can we go to Scrap Valley, please? I want to build something for Sally's birthday."

"Sure thing, little bro!" answered Sonic. "Know what you're gonna make?"

"Not yet but I'll think of something."

Sonic chuckled. How typical of his little bro's desire to create something mechanical from leftover junk. The robot maître d', formerly known as Ballhog and Roller, was a perfect example of Tails' talent.

Just then, the waiter came by with their food. Sonic and Tails both began to salivate at the marvellous sight of two dozen chili dogs, of which half had cheese, just waiting on the countertop to be eaten.

"Hm-hmm," murmured Sonic, picking up one. "Delicious!"

Unfortunately, Sonic didn't get to take a bite because before he could, a flash of light enveloped him and he vanished! The chili dog dropped back onto the countertop with a plop. Tails who was watching the diner's TV didn't notice Sonic was gone until he turned around.

"Sonic?" queried Tails when he saw his big brother's empty barstool. "Where are you?"

He looked around the diner but to no avail. "Maybe he had to go to the bathroom." Satisfied with his assumption, he went back to eating his chili dogs, confident that Sonic would come back soon.

* * *

SatAM Sonicverse 

"Can I, Aunt Sally? Please?"

Princess Sally was reluctant. "I don't think so, Tails; chili dogs aren't healthy and you're a growing boy!"

"But Sonic told me he's been eating them since forever!"

"Yeah, Sal," joined in Sonic. "And look at what I'm like today!" As he said that, he picked up a handheld mirror. He gazed into it and smiled as he saw how handsome he was.

"Oh I see what they've done to you:" responded the princess teasingly, "they've made your eyesight deteriorate!"

"Does that mean you're not as beautiful as you appear to me then?"

A faint blush crept into Sally's cheeks.

With a grin, Sonic then jumped up from the bench and swept the startled princess into his arms. "You're not thinking of feeding Tails broccoli again, are you?" With that, he kissed her right on the lips, causing Sally to melt like butter in his arms, eyes closing in contentment.

"Ewww," commented Tails with a grimace and he covered his eyes, disgusted both by the touching of their lips and the mention of the green tree-like vegetable every preadolescent dreads.

As a consequence, neither of them saw Sonic disappear in a flash of light.

When Sally realized that she wasn't being held anymore, she opened her eyes and looked confusedly around the wooden hut. Upon not discovering his whereabouts, Sally asked Tails, "Where did he go, Tails?"

Tails uncovered his eyes and, not seeing his idol anywhere, said, "I don't know, Aunt Sally. I was covering my eyes!"

Sally sighed in exasperation. "Sometimes, I don't know whether to hate him or love him!"

Quietly, Tails muttered to himself, "I don't like either; one involves yelling and the other involves kissing! Yuck!"

* * *

SU Sonicverse 

"We have triumphed with our powers!

"Victory's finally ours!

"Victory!"

As soon as the last word of the song was out of the hedgehog triplets' throats, the entire stadium erupted into cheers that shook every window pane in every building in the city of Mobotropolis miles away. Beaming, Sonic, along with his brother, Manic, and his sister, Sonia, took a bow, remembering the first time they had played that song; when Robotnik had been defeated, the planet had been freed and they had been reunited with their mother, Queen Aleena, at last.

"Thank you, you're all too kind!" Sonic called out with a wave, causing several girls in the audience to swoon (in many cases, not for the first time that evening).

"And now, as a final special treat…" began Sonic.

"…look to the skies…" continued Sonia.

"…and prepared to be dazzled!" finished Manic.

The audience turned their gaze skyward and it wasn't long before they all heard the sound of a rocket blasting off. A few seconds later…

**Bang!**

The night sky erupted in a stunning display of fireworks, all colours of the rainbow. What made it truly spectacular was that they formed various pictures of the royal family.

"Oooh."

"Aaah."

Suddenly, a vivid flash of light exploded on stage and the spectators' attention was drawn towards it just in time to see Sonic vanish.

But the spectators simply cheered for they thought that this was just a part of the show. Sonia and Manic, on the other hand, knew better and were rather puzzled.

"Where did he go?" queried Manic.

"Sonic, this had better be just another one of your tricks!" Sonia bellowed anxiously.

Queen Aleena, who had been watching the whole proceedings from her own box, stood up. Somehow, she felt that there was no need to worry. Somehow, she knew that her son was now starting another journey.

* * *

Anime Sonicverse 

"Whee!"

Tails' cries of enjoyment could just barely be heard over the sounds of the waves he was making with his jet-propelled body board as he zoomed around in the waters surrounding the long-extinct volcanic island where he and Sonic lived. Meanwhile, said hedgehog was relaxing on the shore in a beach chair and listening to some music on his ghetto blaster which sat on a table.

"Yo Sonic."

The blue hedgehog turned his head towards the direction of the voice and saw, through his sunglasses, a red echidna with a white crescent shape on his chest. Upon his head was an Australian-style hat with a decor of three red stars, each within a yellow circle, on it.

Sonic sat up, knowing perfectly well what the reason for his visit was. Knuckles was a treasure hunter; he travelled the world, searching for hidden caches in ancient temples, palaces and other ruins. Whenever he found something valuable, the echidna would give it to a museum for a huge sum of money, donating most of it to charitable organizations while keeping the rest to sustain him until he hit the next jackpot.

Sometimes Knuckles would find something so interesting, he would just have to show it to his best friend, Sonic. Usually, it was in the form of jewels that were atypical in one way or another. This was most likely the explanation for his arrival.

"What's up, Knuckles?"

He smiled. "Wait 'til you see what I found this time!" He lifted the sack off his back and threw it onto the ground.

Somewhat interested, Sonic took off his sunglasses, placed them on the nearby table and stood up. "Came across something out of the ordinary again, huh?"

"You bet your quills I did!" replied Knuckles ecstatically as he loosened the drawstring on the bag. "Now come over here!"

Sonic walked over to his close friend and waited while Knuckles dug eagerly through his sack.

He pulled out a dazzling, fist-sized, heart-shaped gem, its colour a rich shade of blue. A tiny purple star could be seen embedded in its centre.

"It's called the Blue Passion. What do you think?"

Sonic shrugged. "It's, uh, lovely, Knuckles." The blue hedgehog never cared that much for precious stones (unless they were powerful) but he tried to never let it show.

"I can't wait to see how much moolah this beauty will get me! It'll be kind of hard to give it up but…"

**Kersplash!**

"Ack! (Gurgle) …Grrr, Tails!"

"Sorry, Sonic!"

Tails had decided to ride just a little too close to the beach. As a result, the waves that were being created in the wake of his body board had washed over Sonic and Knuckles.

"Oh no! My treasure!" yelled Knuckles as he started to frantically dig around in the sand. "Where did it go!"

"Don't panic, Knuckles," Sonic spoke calmly. "I'll help you find it. It must have just gotten buried in the sand somewhere, that's all."

Fervently, (at least, on Knuckles' part) they both searched for the Blue Passion.

After fifteen minutes of rummaging around in the fine loose grains that made up the coast, Sonic spotted something azure poking up out of the sand underneath his beach chair.

"Wait, Knuckles!" he called out as the echidna had started to make his way towards the jungle. "Here it…!"

Knuckles never heard the rest of the sentence because in the time it took for him to turn around, Sonic vanished in a flash of light.

"You found it, Sonic?" Knuckles stopped and stared, suddenly realizing that his best buddy wasn't there anymore.

"Sonic?" He headed for the direction where he had last heard the teenage hedgehog's voice and noticed the sapphire sticking up out of the sand.

"There you are!" remarked Knuckles as he picked it up and brushed the sand off. "But where did Sonic go?"

He looked around but to no avail. "Sonic, where are you?" he called out.

Receiving no reply, he shrugged it off and decided to wait for Sonic to come back. After all, that hedgehog couldn't have gone very far… Right?

* * *

Sonic X Sonicverse 

**Splash!**

"Chao! Chao!" chirped Cheese as the bow tied Chao's red-and-white inner tube got caught on a small tidal wave created by Chris' jumping into the pool.

"Wow, Chris!" exclaimed Cream as she bobbed up and down while the twelve year old human surfaced. "That was a big splash!" Meanwhile, Cheese glided by on the water.

"Thanks, Cream," answered the brown-haired boy cheerfully.

Tails swam past them, if you could call it that, for the fox was using his twin tails like a motorboat propeller to push himself through the water.

All this time, Sonic lay on top of the workshop of the Thorndyke estate's roof, preferring to stay as far away as possible from the water.

"Oh Sonic!"

Sonic opened an eye and looked down. On the ground was a beaming pink hedgehog in a red, heart-patterned bikini and sandals.

"I've got an idea: why don't I give you swimming lessons?"

Sonic closed his eye again. "I have an idea too; let's not and say we did."

Amy became peeved but didn't desist. "Now listen to reason, Sonic; one of these days, Eggman will again take advantage of your disadvantage and try to drown you! And possibly, no one will be around to help you next time! Don't you think you should be prepared in case something like that happens?"

"Ha! Eggman succeed in killing me? In his dreams!"

By now, Amy was really steaming, her smile now transformed into a glare. "Sonic, you are going to learn how to swim and that's that!"

With that, she ran into the workshop, sprinted up the stairs into the room where she and the others slept (with the exception of Sonic who preferred the roof during the night as well as the day) and opened up the window in the roof.

"Alright, Sonic!" Amy demanded as she poked her head out. "You're… Huh?"

Amy suddenly realized that it was pointless to continue for the rooftop was completely vacant!

Amy looked around, expecting to see her blue hero running around on the ground or leaping across the rooftops of the other houses; no such luck.

"Where did he go?" questioned Amy, her anger evaporating. "He couldn't have just disappeared… Could he?"


	4. An Alliance Forged

Chapter 3: An Alliance Forged

Within eight, transparent, diamond-shaped pods inside a small, rectangular, metallic room in the basement of a large building somewhere in a certain colourless zone of the Cosmic Interstate, the eight Sonic Primes reappeared. SEGA Sonic fell flat on his face, Archie Sonic yelped, Fleetway Sonic stepped to one side, AoStH Sonic bit his tongue, SatAM Sonic stumbled, SU Sonic gasped, Anime Sonic said, "…is!" and Sonic X stood up.

Then they noticed their surroundings.

A sharp cry of surprise escaped the confines of their throats at the shock of seeing multiple versions of themselves…even though the experience was not new to any of them.

"No need to panic, guys," said a voice from the shadows.

With that, eight doors simultaneously slid upwards. The Sonics hesitated.

"It's safe to step outside," declared the voice.

They all recognized the voice. "Zonic the Zone Cop? Is that you?"

"Yeah."

"Where are we, Zonic?" queried AoStH Sonic.

"And why is everything, including us, black and white?" questioned SU Sonic.

"To answer your first question, you're in the SFHQ of the Neutral Zone of the Cosmic Interstate. As for your second question, it's kind of hard to explain in a way that you'd be able to understand so I won't. But that's not important; you're all here because a great danger threatens all dimensions."

SEGA Sonic whistled. "It must be really great for you to summon me and seven more!"

"Well, yes, but…" he paused. "I should have told all of you this before but…you see, the other seven Sonics standing next to you are also Sonic Primes."

_"What?"_ All of them looked at each other in disbelief. And no wonder; each of them had been told by Zonic that he was Sonic Prime, the one true Sonic of all the dimensions and that it was his destiny to become the most pivotal hero of all time and space. A great burden that suddenly seemed a lot lighter.

"All those times you called upon me to help a universe and you never told me!" screamed Archie Sonic angrily. "Or any of us? Why?" The other Sonic Primes voiced similar opinions.

"I didn't have permission," explained Zonic. "I'm sorry."

"Uh, Zonic, time is of the essence," a childlike, synthesized voice rang out, concern obvious in its tone.

"I know, Omochao."

"Omochao?" said SEGA Sonic confusedly. "You were brought here too?"

There was the sound of light laughter. "I'm not the Omochao of your world but rather Zonic's!"

A cute, robotic Chao emerged from the gloom. Fingerless arms and toeless feet were, along with a teardrop-shaped head, attached to a round body. Attached to its cranium was a revolving pair of helicopter blades.

"Hey, I know you!" stated Fleetway Sonic. "You're just like that Badnik that helped me save Tails' life on the Death Carrier! ("The Syndicate Part 2" Sonic the Comic #229)"

"I know, you're welcome!" Then its tone became serious once again. "We don't have time for this though. Zonic, can't you explain while we get ourselves to the Universal Room?"

"Right, Omochao. Come here and push me." As the Sonics pondered this quizzical order, Omochao withdrew into the shadows and, a moment later, pushed something out.

The eight Sonic Primes' eyes widened in shock. Zonic was seated in a wheelchair with casts on his head, left arm and right leg and several bandages here and there. Instead of his uniform, he wore a hospital patient's gown. Not to mention, he was, for once, on the floor instead of the wall.

_"What happened to you?"_

"And how come you're on the floor?"

"I'll explain in a moment," he spoke as Omochao flew over to a wall and a pushed a button, causing part of it to open. "Now follow me."

As Omochao wheeled Zonic out by pushing his wheelchair, the eight Sonic Primes followed. They found themselves in a long, wide, metallic hallway with several other corridors branching off and the overhead lighting somewhat dim.

"To answer your second question, I have on my person and wheelchair several devices that change my centre of gravity so I'm on the floor of this Zone. As for your first question, Mecha, Robo-Robotnik's mechanical daughter, was what happened," he replied grimly. "After getting the drop on me and several other Zone Cops, she and her 'father' freed Evil Sonic who was being held in a cell I was guarding."

A pause.

Then SatAM Sonic said, "…Eh heh heh, for a moment there, I could have sworn you said, 'Robo-Robotnik.'"

"So did I," answered Fleetway Sonic uneasily.

"I'm afraid none of you were hearing things, I did say 'Robo-Robotnik,'" Zonic responded gloomily. "And to top it off, he plans to try and conquer all universes again – starting with yours!"

"_What? _But that's impossible!" yelled SEGA Sonic. "Robo-Robotnik was destroyed!"

"Whoa, whoa, time out!" cried SU Sonic. "Who the heck _is_ this Robo-Robotnik?"

"Ditto," uttered Anime Sonic.

"What they said," stated Sonic X.

"You mean you didn't fight him in the Great Battle?" AoStH Sonic asked.

"No."

"Nope."

"Uh-uh."

"Then allow us to explain," insisted SEGA Sonic.

One long explanation later, SU Sonic, Anime Sonic and Sonic X were fully aware of the immense danger their worlds were in. However, there was still one loose end that needed to be tied up.

"If Robo-Robotnik was destroyed, how come he's, right now, a threat to our universes?"

"Because he wasn't," explained Archie Sonic. "Robo-Robotnik's memory got transported to an incomplete space station in his world. He was trapped there for a while until my Robotnik got teleported there. Robo-Robotnik sent him back but, at the same time, scanned his memory to find out what happened to Giant Borg. Somehow, he used the piece of Giant Borg in his world to create a new body and destroy Mobotropolis, the royal family and Cyber Sonic."

_"Say what?"_ exclaimed SatAM Sonic.

"Cyber Sonic's…dead?" cried AoStH Sonic.

"No way!" yelled SEGA Sonic.

"I don't believe it!" snarled Fleetway Sonic.

Even though SU Sonic, Anime Sonic and Sonic X had never met him before, they were pretty shocked as well.

"A Robotnik actually killed a Sonic?" stated SU Sonic.

"He must have been pretty powerful!" asserted Anime Sonic.

"Either that or really lucky," added Sonic X.

They continued on in silence for a while, thinking over the fact that a Sonic had actually been defeated and hoping, deep down inside, that the only reason he had been beaten was that his guard had been let down substantially.

"Does anyone get the feeling that we're being watched?" asked Anime Sonic after a number of minutes.

"I thought I saw a teenage human peeking around the corner of a doorway," Sonic X casually answered.

Upon hearing that, SatAM Sonic and SU Sonic jumped and looked wildly around, more out of hate than fear. _"A human?_ Where?"

"Don't worry," assured Zonic. "They won't harm you."

SU Sonic shouted, "Won't harm us?" and SatAM Sonic looked at Zonic as if he was crazy.

"You shouldn't judge an entire species based on the actions of one," replied Zonic. "Or, to put it bluntly, not all humans are like Robotnik."

"You say that like it's not the most obvious thing in the universe." declared Anime Sonic.

"It's obvious in _your_ universe," corrected Omochao, "but not in theirs." He pointed to SatAM Sonic and SU Sonic. "You see, these two have very few humans living in their worlds so it's natural for them to think that all humans are cruel and wicked."

"Oh."

"And don't worry," continued Omochao, "the humans of this Zone wouldn't dream of harming you!"

"And why is that?"

"Sorry, classified information."

"We're here," Zonic interrupted. They were now standing in front of a large metallic door. Omochao flew up to an electronic lock and pressed several buttons. The doorway opened and they all entered in a single-file line.

They were now in a room similar to the one the eight Sonic Primes had appeared in except it was the size of an indoor stadium and the teleportation pods were bigger too; they were large enough to hold ten people.

"This is the Universal Room," explained Zonic. "Each teleportation pod is set to one of the eight universes you guys live in. We'll use this place to transport you guys to your worlds. We don't know which universe he plans to attack first yet but Omochao will know thanks to its associates in each Zone so you'll be there the moment they're aware something's up."

"Why can't we use the machines in that other room?" asked Archie Sonic. "Or the No Zone?"

"Because after they're used, it takes an hour for them to charge up again. And besides, only one person at a time can use them. Oh and I forgot to mention: Mecha didn't just trash me and the other Zone Cops, she also trashed all our teleportation machinery."

"So you have to use this backup base instead," concluded Fleetway Sonic.

"Basically, yes. Now all we can do is to wait for Omochao to receive the signal from its fellow robots."

All eight Sonic Primes moaned at the mention of having to do their least favourite activity for who knows how long.

"We have to wait?" questioned SatAM Sonic, "That's not our best event!"

For the first time in a long while, Zonic chuckled. "Don't worry. Knowing Robo-Robotnik, the signal will come very soon."

* * *

The moment Robo-Robotnik reviewed the information of that universe, he decided he'd conquer that one first. The robots that the Robotnik of that world had created were mostly useless as they were either rebellious, unintelligent or both but his inventions were an entirely different story. The machines he had built before could do things beyond Robo-Robotnik's wildest imaginings.

"This is just too good to be true!"

"Good is a matter of definition, father," replied ADAM.

Robo-Robotnik ignored his 'son,' a computer virus that had been accidentally created about nine months prior. Despite his nature, he had been quite beneficial most of the time. The Autonomous Digital Assault Microbe controlled every machine of the Eggman Empire so if someone were to hack a computer or even a robot, ADAM would know about, infect and take control of the infiltrating device immediately.

He turned to his 'daughter' and to his old cohort. "M, Evil Sonic, is everything ready?"

"Yes, father."

"You bet!"

"Good, good."

The overall plan was this: he would leave some robots behind to defend New Megaopolis in case the Freedom Fighters noticed and took advantage of his absence and set his factories to keep mass-producing more robots to replace the ones lost in battle. However, even if New Megaopolis was lost, he would come back to this world after conquering the other seven with more military might than even King Maximilian and Station Square's armies combined.

"ADAM, set the coordinates to this location in this universe and teleport us there," Robo-Robotnik commanded, indicating a specific spot on the screen.

"Yes, father."

Earlier, teleportation devices had been manufactured and planted on himself, Evil Sonic, Mecha and quite a few robots. He planned to have himself and his forces materialize not too far from that universe's Robotnik's place, take him by surprise and occupy his stronghold.

As they vanished in a flash of light, Robo-Robotnik couldn't help but declare, "The inhabitants of that world are gonna wish their parents never met by the time I'm through with them! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!"


	5. Fast Food

Chapter 4: Fast Food

The eight Sonic Primes were different in several ways. Some were competitive, some were not. Most of them wouldn't think of insulting anybody while a few were just a tad mean-spirited. But if there was one thing they all had in common, it was their extremely short patience.

"We're waiting," drawled SatAM Sonic and AoStH Sonic for the sixteenth time.

"Where's that signal?" Archie Sonic demanded irritably.

"Yeah, we've been waiting for three minutes!" declared SU Sonic.

Omochao remained calm. "Should be arriving any – whoa, incoming!"

Immediately, every Sonic in the room looked up in anticipation at Omochao, who searched among them.

"Let's see, it's coming from…your world!" It pointed at AoStH Sonic.

His eyes widened. _"My world?_ Is Tails and Sally alright?"

"They should be," answered Omochao. "At the very most, Robo-Robotnik could only have been there for thirty-seven seconds!"

It flew over to one of the teleportation pods. "Come over here, this is the one that will transport you to the world Robo-Robotnik's in now. Just step inside and I'll activate it."

After they had complied with Omochao's orders, Zonic said, "Being in the state I am now, I can only say this: good luck and be careful."

"Don't sweat it, Zonic," grinned SEGA Sonic. "We'll make scrambled eggs out of Robo-Robotnik yet. Yeah, let's party!"

"Juice and jam time!"

"Let's do it to it!"

"We're up, over and gone!"

Once again, they all vanished in an intense flash of light.

* * *

"Listen up, people!" shouted Irene. Immediately, all eyes of the new arrivals of the Neutral Zone were fixed on the fourteen year old African American. Beside her stood a Chao that had a shrew tail affixed to its backside. 

"There's a very important thing that needs to be clarified right now and that is this: you're all from different universes!"

Fervent whispering began as the newbies looked at each other as if appearances alone could help them tell each other apart.

"What I mean by different universes," continued Irene, "is this: you all know of the eight prime versions of Sonic the Hedgehog but in completely diverse formats. From comic books to comic strips, from novels to graphic novels, from musicals to movies, from TV shows to videogames.

"Forget about calling the eight Sonic Primes by the nicknames you're well acquainted with in your worlds – SunPM, SG, AoStH, Comic – because it's much too confusing. Here, we have a set of nicknames that all of you should use if you wish to communicate with each other. If you want to know what they are, read that bulletin board over there." She pointed to the far wall of the gigantic room, where a chart on a notice board was attached.

"There are two sectors of the Neutral Zone where you can live for the duration of your stay here: one is governed by Bertie Hollingsworth, the other by Victoria Hollingsworth. And, boy, let me tell you, if I didn't mention it, you would never have known that those two are related to each other, let alone twins. Heck, you wouldn't have known they are from the same universe. That's how different they are. But enough of that; let me give you the lowdown on the two sectors.

"Unless you're very tough, you'll keep away from Bertie Hollingsworth's sector. He takes freedom so seriously that he'll let anyone who inhabits his sector do whatever they want, provided their actions don't harm anybody. That might sound like a good thing but it's not; he'll let anyone get away with anything as long as it doesn't hurt anybody _physically!_ Which means the inhabitants can tease, bully and harass each other for whatever reason there may be. Bertie seems to think that if he can laugh off any insults, so can everyone else. Crazy or what?

"You'd better be prepared to watch what you say should you choose to live in Victoria Hollingsworth's sector. She forbids any bad opinions, gossip and the like. So don't worry about being tormented by others in any way, shape or form. If you so much as leave a table just because someone you don't like decides to sit there, however, you'll be on the receiving end of her yelling sessions in four hours or less. Victoria's a little bit of a hypocrite, though, as she's prone to insulting at anybody who has the bravery or the stupidity to cross her path. But that's nothing; you should see her when she loses her temper!

"You're probably wondering which sector we're in right now. You're in neither of them; you're in a relatively tiny part of the Neutral Zone that separates the two sectors. This area is used for checking out what the eight Sonic Primes are doing by means of hidden surveillance equipment, usually in the form of Omochao. You might say I'm in charge of managing this place but that's an unofficial position.

"No doubt, you're thinking about getting your own Chao too, I bet. Just follow the signs that point to the Gardens, you can't possibly miss them! But be prepared to learn a few dozen things about the adorable cherubs that you'd never have discovered if you never came here!

"There. If you have any further questions, seek out any of the many Omochao wandering about and they'll help you as best as they can. Good luck."

With that, the newbies flocked off in different directions, impatient to begin their year-long stay in the Neutral Zone.

* * *

In the eating section of Bert's Diner, there was not a soul to be found at the moment. A convenient lull in the usual bustling of the restaurant, considering what was about to take place. 

All of a sudden, a brilliant flash of light appeared in the centre of the eating part, illuminating the booths and barstools. A second later, it dissipated, leaving only the eight forms of the Sonic Primes.

With the exception of AoStH Sonic, the others felt funny to varying degrees upon entering a world where the laws of physics could be bended a lot more easily than they were used to.

Sonic X ignored the strangeness he was feeling and looked around. "Where are we? A restaurant?"

"Welcome to Bert's Diner. May I please take your order?"

They turned around to see who welcomed them and saw the Ballhog-Roller combination.

Anime Sonic stared. "Is that a Badnik? But why isn't it attacking us? Has its brain gone haywire?"

"You might say that," laughed AoStH Sonic. "That thing used to be two Badniks, Ballhog and Roller, before I trashed them and Tails rebuilt them as this waiter! ('Untouchable Sonic') Anyone want lunch? We can't fight Robo-Robotnik without fuel after all!"

"Well, I am feeling kinda hungry," remarked Sonic X. "What do they serve here?"

"The best chili dogs on Mobius!" declared AoStH Sonic.

Four surprised smiles appeared on Archie Sonic, SatAM Sonic, SEGA Sonic and SU Sonic's face. "Did you say, 'chili dogs'?"

"You bet! Looks like we're not that different at all." AoStH Sonic looked toward the mechanical waiter and sat himself on a barstool. "Eight dozen chili dogs, pal!"

SEGA Sonic's eyes widened considerably as the robot obediently trotted off. _"Eight dozen chili dogs?_ We can't possibly pay for all of them, never mind eating them!"

Archie Sonic turned to AoStH Sonic. "He does have a point. How _are_ we gonna pay?"

"Don't worry; Bert Who – he's the guy who owns this place – lets me and Tails eat for free whenever I come here. It's his way of thanking us for helping him."

SU Sonic looked as if his birthday had come early. "Chili dogs for free? I think I've found paradise!"

"Is that you, Sonic?"

A green owl in an apron stepped out of the kitchen where the robot had gone. "Tails has been looking for…" When he saw the eight Sonic Primes, he jumped back in shock.

"W-w-what, ho-how?" Suddenly, his expression of amazement turned into one of suspicion and he grabbed a nearby broom. "So Robotnik's made several robot look-alikes of Sonic, eh? Well, it would have worked better if some of you had stayed outside!" He started advancing towards them.

"Wait, Bert!" cried AoStH Sonic. "None of us are robots! These guys are from different dimensions, that's all!"

"Really. Prove it!"

"Would we be ordering ninety-six chili dogs if we were robots?"

Bert relaxed his grip on the broomstick and pondered this. "Hmmm… You do have a point." He put the broomstick down. "But how did you all get here?"

"It's not how we got here so much why we are all here," stated AoStH Sonic. "Everyone's in danger because another version of Robotnik wants to conquer this world!"

"Another Robotnik?" said a voice. "That's scary."

They all whipped around just in time to see Tails enter the diner, eyes, almost literally, as wide as the plates the chili dogs of that place were served on. He had been eavesdropping just outside the door for the past ten minutes.

"If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen with Roxie cooking your chili dogs." With that, Bert stepped back into the kitchen.

SU Sonic stared at the cub, rubbed his eyes then took a good look at him again. "I must be going crazy; that fox has two tails!"

Tails jumped then shyly answered, "You're not crazy, 'Sonic.' I really do have two tails."

SU Sonic continued to stare. "How?"

Tails shrugged. "I don't know. I've had them for a long time."

"Hey, little bro!" greeted AoStH Sonic. "Missed me?"

"Is that you, Sonic? From this world, I mean."

"Hey, if you mean the one who first met you by getting bonked on the head by you when you got kicked out of a tree… ("Tails' New Home")"

A joyful smile lit up Tails' face. "Sonic, it really is you!"

He leaped into AoStH Sonic's arms and received a hug in return. "Actually, keed, we're all Sonic!"

As Fleetway Sonic strove to not throw up, Archie Sonic asked in puzzlement, "Just how old are you, Tails?"

"Um, I turned five years old two weeks ago. Why?"

Many of the Sonics' eyes widened. _"Only five years old?"_

"Well, yeah. What's the matter, do I look older or something?"

Sonic X laughed. "Not at all, Tails. In my world, you're eight years old."

"Same here," added SEGA Sonic.

Tails gasped.

"Eight years old?" remarked Archie Sonic. "That's funny; the Tails in my universe is eleven!"

"What he said," put in SatAM Sonic.

"Wow! Those Tails sure are lucky!" declared Tails jealously.

"Order up!"

They all turned around and saw that the waiter had returned with their chili dogs. They were on eight plates being steadily balanced in the robot's hands, which it set down, one by one, on the counter.

"Took you long enough," complained SatAM Sonic as he and the other Sonics chose a barstool and sat down.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" proclaimed Archie Sonic. "Let's have a chili-dog-eating contest; see which Sonic can wolf down their twelve chili dogs the fastest!"

"You're on!"

Even Anime Sonic and Sonic X, who usually didn't enter contests for the sake of their reputations (and thought the chili dogs were a little disgusting), were obliged to compete.

"Let me say the countdown, Sonic!" chirped Tails.

"Okay, Tails," chuckled AoStH Sonic. "You can start it anytime now."

"On your mark… Get set… Chow down!"

With great vigour, the eight Sonic Primes proceeded to shove one chili dog at a time down their throats as fast as their arms and jaws could move.

As chili flew everywhere, Tails cheered them all on, not caring which Sonic won. Besides, he figured _someone_ should root for the other Sonics as their Tails weren't here right now.

Authoress' Note: What I don't comprehend is why people hate Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog so much. I'll bet half the guys who say they hate it because of its silliness own every existing piece of Looney Tunes and/or SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise!


	6. Obsession

Chapter 5: Obsession

"And don't worry; the humans of this Zone wouldn't dream of harming you!"

Irene laughed bitterly when she watched that particular section of the security tape – where an obsessed fan had attempted to get a glimpse of the eight Sonic Primes up close – within her dark living room. How she wished that Omochao hadn't been lying. While many Sonic Fans would never physically harm any Sonic on purpose, they would unintentionally try to mentally hurt him by attempting to kill one of his friends due to one of two reasons: either a certain character was despised in the fans' world or a SonWhover Fan club saw a girl as a threat to Sonic's relationship with their favourite female.

The only reason why no fan had succeeded in killing any of the eight Sonic's friends so far (or so it seemed…) was because if a Sonic character was loathed in one world, chances were that he or she would be adored in another. Hence, whenever members of a club tried to murder an individual from the Sonicverses, their rival club stopped them and a fight ensued.

It was for this reason that Sonic Fans were banned from going to the Sonicverses long ago.

Irene turned around as a rectangular shaft of light appeared on the TV and saw Lance, Tiffany, Flynn and Mavis, who had taken refuge in her abode from the masses who would undoubtedly be after their necks for inadvertently endangering seven of the eight Prime Sonicverses.

"Hey, Irene," said Flynn, a grinning boy with glasses perched on his nose. "Come out here and get a load of what's happening out in the hall!"

Upon exiting the room, Irene went over to a bay window where their five Chao were looking out. When she stood beside them, she saw that a large crowd had gathered outside in the hall, seated around small tables. On each table was a small TV. On the nearest one, Irene could see the eight Sonic Primes gorging themselves with chili dogs in what was clearly the Sonicverse of Jocularity.

After a few minutes of looking at the fans, she groaned audibly.

"What's up?" asked Lance.

"You better go hide, guys; every SonWhoever group that has a girl in the Sonicverse of Jocularity is out there, waiting for an excuse to pounce on each others' throats and any bystanders foolish enough to remain out there when the fists start flying. Which means any bystanders not foolish enough to remain out there will come in my flat and they'll undoubtedly want to clobber you."

Tiffany counted on her nail-polished fingers and her eyes widened. "Woo boy… Like, six SonWhoever groups to be exact: Sonoxie, Sonerna, Soneezie, Sonossum, Sonally and Nicnet!"

Mavis, being mute, just shook her head in despair, a crestfallen look on her face.

Irene continued to stare out the bay window. "I'm willing to gamble ten million dollars that the first fight will start within five minutes or less."

* * *

AoStH Sonic patted his stomach happily and looked around at the other Sonics, who had, according to Tails, finished their chili dogs at about the same time he had (though if he had looked at Anime Sonic and Sonic X, he would have seen them throw their chili dogs out in a nearby trash receptacle in the blink of an eye). 

The sound of a feminine voice and a pair of hands applauding reached the hedgehogs' ears. "Wow, cool! So Bert wasn't seeing things at all. Bravo!"

They looked and saw, standing behind the counter, a tall, smiling, grey-and-white raccoon with an apron around her waist, and a waitress' hat on her head.

AoStH Sonic smiled. "Hey Roxie."

* * *

"Ha!" A Sonoxie Fan dramatically pointed her finger at the other groups of SonWhoever Fans, a triumphant sneer on her face. "See? There's proof that JocuSonic loves Roxie and not anyone else!" 

The moment that last sentence was out of her mouth, everybody except the Sonoxie, Sonerna, Soneezie, Sonossum, Sonally and Nicnet Fans exited the hall and entered Irene's flat almost as fast as any Sonic could run.

"What proof, stupid?" retorted a Nicnet Fan. "All he did was greet her!"

"Well, it's a lot stronger than the evidence that proves Sonic loves Sonnet. After all, he literally dumped her the first time they met!"

"The joke's on you! Sonic's just too shy to let anyone know his true feelings for Sonnet."

"What? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard and I've been listening to you (ugh) Nicnet Fans for two years!"

"Alright, that's it!"

The Nicnet Fan threw a punch at the Sonoxie Fan, who dodged and countered with a kick. Within seconds, Nearly all the SonWhoever fans joined the fray, leading to an all-out catfight.

A few SonWhoever Fans stood well back from the carnage and looked at their comrades with despair.

Meanwhile, Irene witnessed it all from her bay window. Glaring at them, she remarked, "And they say only old people are rigid in their beliefs."

* * *

"Oh dear," was all Roxie could think of to say when the eight Sonic Primes had finished explaining the situation. 

"'Oh dear,' is mondo right, Roxie. Everyone is in danger! And I know just how to warn them."

He turned to Tails. "Tails, I need you to round up all our buddies: Da Bearz, Princess Sally, the robots of Scrap Valley, Professors Caninestein and Von Schlemmer, everybody!"

"Okay, Sonic." He turned to go outside.

"Wait a minute, Tails!" said AoStH Sonic suddenly. "I just remembered something; where did all the customers go? The diner's usually packed this time of day."

"A few minutes after you disappeared, it suddenly got all dark outside. Me and all the customers went out and saw thousands, maybe even millions, of Chao flying overhead, going all in one direction! There were so many of them, they blocked out the sun!" He then ran out.

"Chao, huh?" repeated Sonic X, his expression one of puzzlement. "Strange, I thought Chao colonies could only have up to three dozen members. But then again, this world _is _different from mine!"

"Not to interrupt your fascinating conversation," Fleetway Sonic butted in, "but would you mind telling me just what in this and every other world _is_ a Chao?"

"They look kind of like Omochao except they're not robots," explained SEGA Sonic. "They're basically cute, little, chubby fairies that come in many shapes and colours and have been known to have strange powers. But that's not important now; we need to warn everybody on this planet!"

"And like I've said before," declared AoStH Sonic, "I know just how to warn them. Come on." He motioned towards the door.

Archie Sonic's eyes broadened slightly. "You mean we have to reveal ourselves? To everyone?" Usually, whenever he travelled to another world, he tried to let as few people as possible know he was from another dimension.

AoStH Sonic sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, how else are we going to get their attention…and get them to believe us before it's too late?"

"Oh. Good point."

They all stepped outside.

No one noticed that there were eight Sonics in town at first. Then someone pointed them out with a scream and pretty soon, a shuddering quiet settled over the small town of Mobius Corners as its occupants realized what was transpiring. For a moment, all the residents could do was to stare at them.

The eight Sonics smiled uniformly and yelled, "Hi, everybody!"

This innocent greeting had quite a variety of effects. A salamander fainted, a groundhog ran to a nearby optometrist, an ostrich checked himself into an asylum, a butterfly poured the contents of a wine bottle down a nearby sewage drain and a Gila monster ran off, shouting something about being sorry for what she had done. The rest of the wide-eyed, gaping crowd cautiously crept up to the hedgehogs to get a better look at them.

"Can anybody get us in touch with a television network?" demanded AoStH Sonic. "We've got an important message to give to the entire world!"

* * *

"…and that is why we are all here!" 

They were now surrounded by dozens of interviewers, reporters and newscasters, each of them trying to squeeze every last, juicy drop out of the eight Sonics for what was practically the story of the century, if not millenium.

During a commercial break, SU Sonic noticed that SatAM Sonic was staring at him as if he was weird.

"Uh, care to tell me," he asked in puzzlement, "just what's so interesting about me?"

"Why are you wearing a necklace?"

SU Sonic was confused for a moment but then he let out a small "Oh!" of realization and laughed out loud. "It's not a 'necklace!' It's a Royal Hedgehog Medallion! And I don't wear it just to show it off…"

The medallion suddenly glowed, becoming larger and larger until it had transformed into a purple electric guitar. The others gasped, with the exception of Fleetway Sonic, who jumped away.

"…unless I want to put on a show, heh heh." Then he saw Fleetway Sonic and his grin turned into a frown. "Hey you, are you okay?"

Fleetway Sonic's spines had turned yellow at the tips but they were beginning to fade back into blue. He looked very pale.

"That…that thing's powered by…Chaos energy…isn't it?"

SU Sonic shrugged. "Well, of course it is. Why?"

Fleetway Sonic opened his mouth to answer but…

"Ohhhhhhh!"

A high-pitched squeal assaulted their ears, forcing the hedgehogs to instantly cover them, their faces screwed up in agony.

"Ow!" remarked SatAM Sonic as he dared to uncover his ears. "What was that?"

Then they heard that voice again, only closer. "It's true, it's true, it's true!"

AoStH Sonic slapped his forehead and moaned. "Oh no." Seconds later, a mass of fur collided with him, almost knocking the hedgehog to the ground just as the commercial breaks inconveniently ended and the cameras started rolling again.

"The newscast was right: there _are_ eight versions of wonderful you!" There was the sound of a pair of lips smooching AoStH Sonic's cheek.

"(gasp) Sonnet, please, not on live TV!"

Hugging AoStH Sonic was a brown, bucktoothed squirrel in a light pink, sleeveless shirt and dark pink pants. Her hair was done up in a ponytail and, in her mouth, a wad of pink bubble gum could be seen.

"Uh, who is this?" asked Anime Sonic nervously.

The squirrel detached herself from AoStH Sonic and smiled joyfully at the other Sonics. "Hi. My name's Son_net;_ I changed it on account of I'm your biggest fan! I've got your t-shirt, your watch, your hair-colouring kit and your bubble gum!" She enthusiastically showed off each of these items in turn.

"You don't say," said SEGA Sonic warily, who was being strongly reminded of Amy.

"I do, silly! Now why don't you all give me your autographs? You first!" Out of nowhere, she pulled out a large picture of Sonic and a Sonic-shaped pen and shoved them into AoStH Sonic's hands.

"But Sonnet, I already…" AoStH Sonic started to protest but then he noticed the cameramen and photographers looking at him with anticipation. He reluctantly signed the photo.

* * *

"There they go again," sighed Irene as the SonWhoever Fans began their fighting anew in consequence of AoStH Sonic's consenting to let Sonnet have his autograph. 

She glared at them and added, under her breath, "I've said this before and I'll say it again: why oh why can't we all get along like _normal_ fan clubs?"

* * *

Authoress' Note: Come on, admit it; I know that the majority of you were fooled into that Sonnet was Amy at first. So don't try to dupe me. And speaking of which, does Sonnet seem to be a lot like Amy or what? I wonder who's more…er…overly devoted to Sonic? 


	7. Foreshadowing

Chapter 6: Foreshadowing

The vast Mobius Jungle was mostly unspoiled, with an occasional building seen here and there. And not many people wanted to live there either; it was quite famous for its carnivorous plants, cursed temples and a few volcanoes. Yet around the base of an active one, a tiny village could be seen. It was completely deserted at the moment, however. Inside the volcano's crater, a mound of lava with two black eyes and a mouth rose from the bubbling liquid.

Long ago, this deity had been the keeper of one of the Chaos Emeralds but no longer. In ancient times, also, he had been quite well known to Mobians and Chao alike; that wasn't the case at all any more. Now, only the Chao worshipped him. But that didn't mean he hadn't left his mark in the Mobians' culture; the term, 'magna,' another word for 'great,' had come from his name and the word 'magma' was nowadays used when referring to the hot liquid of the burning mountains.

At the moment, though, Magma was not dwelling on the past for he was much more concerned about the future due to the fact that, a few hours before, he had felt _it _arrive.

That thing: that thing that was an obscure myth to most Mobians and a well-known fact to all Chao; that made even the bravest Chao tremble at the mere thought of it; that was a staple of the worst nightmares of the brood of Chao.

At first, when he had sensed its presence, he was in such a state of shock; he didn't quite want to believe that that creature had arrived. But after much deliberation, he decided to tell all the Chao colonies that lived near volcanoes of this imminent threat in hopes that this creature could be stopped.

If any Mobian could read his mind at this point, they'd be worried too. After all; what could possibly be powerful enough to frighten a god?

* * *

Robo-Robotnik was absolutely ecstatic. When he had first saw the information for the inventions created by this world's Robotnik, he was jovial yet slightly worried that they might be too complex to manufacture on a grand scale. But now that he had seen the blueprints for the weaponry for himself, his reservations had vanished completely.

After careful consideration, Robo-Robotnik picked up two particular blueprints from the lab table and gave them to a Shadowbot. "Adam, I want you to install these weapons on the next line of Shadowbots."

"Yes, father," Adam's voice came through the Shadowbot and it marched off, blueprints in hand.

With that out of the way, Robo-Robotnik turned to other important matters at hand. From the information acquired from that blue robot, he had learned that the Robotnik of this world once had a ring that had the most powerful Chaos Emerald on Mobius embedded in it. It had the ability to sink a hundred square miles of Mobius into the sea when placed in the Activation Altar of the Secret Zone. After getting rid of a few countries (and if he was lucky, this world's Sonic too), the rest of the world would be quick to surrender.

Ironically, it had been thrown into the ocean by this world's Sonic but that was hardly a problem. The information obtained from the robot also told of the where it was disposed of approximately. Right now, submarines were being constructed in the factories that had been built at the foot of the hill where this world's Robotnik's fortress sat on. Robo-Robotnik wanted as many constructed as possible since there were actually a couple of underwater cities down in the depths; so why not kill two birds with one stone?

* * *

Barry could only look at his best friend, Terence, in utter amazement. For a moment, he was sure the ten-by-ten echoing hallway they were walking in had made him hear wrong. "How can you say they suck? I may have only played one game but I'll bet your world's Sonic video games are the best games ever created!"

Terence sighed in exasperation. "I meant the _recent _games, Barry. Like Sonic Heroes."

Barry's eyes widened. "That's the one game I played! It's absolute genius! The heroes working in teams of three all at once and the idea of picking up rings to keep you healthy are the most original concepts in a video game I've ever seen! I would never see stuff like that in _my _universe's Sonic games, not in a million years! You say that's a _bad_ Sonic game? Oh man, then I can't wait to play the _good_ Sonic games!"

Terence looked interested. "Your dimension has Sonic video games too? What are they like?"

Barry grimaced and shuddered. "Terrible. Just terrible. But of course they should; they're based on the movie and everyone knows ninety-nine percent of the video games that are based on something are horrible."

"Oh I see. Well, in my world, the video games came first."

"I know."

A gruff voice suddenly shouted, stopping the two ten-year-olds in their tracks. "Hey! What are you SEGA Fans doing here?"

Barry and Terence looked behind them and saw a gang of teenage boys glaring at them. With a gulp and a growing feeling of fear, they both realized they had accidentally wandered into the Sonic X Fanatic territory of Bertie's sector. And these guys were not Sonic X Fans but Sonic X Fanatics; extremists who, when they weren't fighting against or bullying the other Fans or Fanatics, set out to try and murder certain people from the Sonicverses.

A muscular boy, obviously the leader, stepped towards them, massaging his knuckles. "You've got some nerve wandering onto our turf like this. We oughta pound ya!"

"You can't," Terence defiantly stated. "Not even Bertie will let any beatings go unpunished!"

"Who says we can't teach you a lesson without beating the tar out of ya?" A derisive smile appeared on the leader's face. "Bertie may not allow any poundings but he never said anything about humiliating."

The two boys turned to run in the opposite direction, only to find their way blockaded by more mean-looking Sonic X Fanatics, who roughly grabbed them by the shoulders, lifted them off the floor and carried them back over to their leader.

The leader looked gleefully at the boys. "Who wants to dunk these little boys' heads in toilets that still have some leftover…?"

At that moment, a terrible roar drowned out the rest of his sentence and the lights went out.

"What the heck…?"

"I don't like this."

A sinister cackle and a pair of eyes from up above penetrated the darkness. "Heh heh heh… Guess who!"

Barry and Terence heard the leader's voice, fear evident in it. "Holy smoke! It's Lou!"

Their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Barry and Terence saw the Sonic X Fanatics vacate the hallway so fast, it was almost as if they were using Power Rings. And frankly, Barry and Terence couldn't blame them at all; Lou was the one being feared even more so than Victoria Hollingsworth; in fact, Lou was her Chao, the fiercest, most powerful Chao in the Neutral Zone, able to enter Zero Mode (a phase that Gods like Chaos enjoyed being in mostly) as a dragon.

Paralysed by fear at the thought of being turned into charcoal, Barry and Terence clutched each other, looking around anxiously for the dragon Chao.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a voice came out of the darkness – a high-pitched voice that giggled playfully. "Ha ha! Bullies like them just love giving the other Sonic X Fans a bad name, don't you think?"

The lights switched on and the boys saw an Omochao hovering near the ceiling. "What do you think of this new upgrade? In case you haven't figured it out by now, that was actually me imitating Lou! Pretty nifty, huh?"

Barry and Terence could only gawp. One thing was for sure; neither of them would ever insult any Omochao ever again.

Authoress' Note: I wonder why everyone hates Omochao. Sure he can be a little annoying sometimes but he seems to be quite helpful. In fact, I think he's kinda cute!


	8. Friends, Foes and Fans

Chapter 7: Friends, Foes and Fans

"_My_ favourite Sonic videogame of all time is Sonic X-Treme," stated Lauren, a dreamy look in her eyes that reflected the interior of the black-and-white hallway. "What's your favourite Sonic show, Heather?"

"I love Sonic the Hedgehog, especially the third season. The drama, the romance, the suspense… (sigh)"

"Sonic X rocks! It's too bad they cancelled that third season they were making."

Heather scoffed. "Big deal! We can watch whatever would have happened during that season for real here when the time comes!"

"And I doubt either of you (blech) Soneezie Fans will live to see that day, considering where you are now!"

Upon hearing that, the pair of twelve-year-olds looked around and noticed that they had entered Sonossum Fanatic territory by mistake. They were now surrounded by about half a dozen glowering teenage girls.

The leader stepped forward, smirking haughtily. "Well, if it isn't the orphan and the reject: one girl's dad killed her mom then killed himself; the other girl's parents abandoned her."

Lauren's face turned scarlet. "For the hundredth time, my dad swerved to avoid a pedestrian and the car went off a bridge, killing my mom who was in the passenger's seat! He committed suicide out of guilt, not because he didn't want to get caught!"

Heather eyes contained just-visible tears. "For your information, my parents sent me to a foster home because they lost their money through theft and couldn't afford to take care of me!"

The leader rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "If that's true, how come the only friends you got are each other?"

"That's not true!" they both yelled.

"You're shouting. That means you're denying…"

**Chomp!**

"Eeyouch!"

The leader jumped at least a dozen feet into the air, came back down and started running around in circles like mad, trying desperately to pry off the Chao that had decided her buttocks looked rather tasty.

The other teenagers' faces paled. "Oh no… it's him; Lou!"

The Chao relinquished its grip on the leader's bottom and flew up into the air. Glaring at them, it said, in its species' language, I'm not only a male; I'm both genders! Chao are hermaphrodites! We're only one or the other when we enter Zero Mode and beyond that! But of course, it figures you wouldn't know that because you bullies aren't allowed to have Chao. Just for that, I'm going to give you hooligans a double whammy today! 

The harassers couldn't understand Lou but Heather and Lauren could; after all, they had been around Chao continuously and for a long time too. So they slowly backed off.

Seconds later, Lou started glowing, the light illuminating its colourless surroundings. Its body became larger until it was just a little bigger than a full-grown human. Then the light faded away, leaving a female dragon in its place. Lou had entered Zero Mode, Female Form.

Now that Lou was a Mobian, it – or rather, at this moment, she – could speak English. "Here's my gift!" She threw her head back and let loose a blast of fire-breathing that dragons are so renowned for.

Barely dodging the flames, the teenagers ran off screaming in terror, with Lou following close behind by air.

The two girls watched them all go in stupefaction. After a while, Lauren broke the silence. "It's lucky for them that Lou doesn't have any Chaos Emeralds or they'd have to outrun Lou in its One Mode, Two Mode, maybe even Perfect Mode!"

* * *

"So you think you guys can help?" asked Tails. 

The little fox was talking to a pair of large brown bears, one in a blue vest that was too small for him, the other in a pair of blue overalls. In response to the query, the first one, whose name was Mad Mike, replied, "Sure we will. Or me and Big Grizz ain't…"

Right on cue, the other bear joined him in simultaneously saying, "Da Bearz!"

"That's great, guys!"

Tails turned to the other friends he had already rounded up. There was Breezie, an aqua-coloured hedgehog android in a red dress and matching elbow-length gloves. Originally, she had been built by Ivo Robotnik to lure Sonic to his death by making him fall in love with her. At the very last moment, however, Breezie saw the error of her ways and saved Sonic and they gently broke up ("Lovesick Sonic").

Standing beside Breezie was another android, who looked like a younger version of Dr. Robotnik, minus the moustache and with hair on his head. Robotnik Junior was built to be Robotnik's pride and joy and just as nasty as him. In the end, though, Robotnik Jr. saw the light and disowned Ivo as his father ("Robotnik Junior"). Eventually, he met and fell in love with Breezie and they had been together ever since ("Sonic the Matchmaker").

The sheriff of Thirsty Gulch, a brown opossum who simply went by the name of Miss Possum, was there as well. She wore a navy-blue dress and on top of her blond hair sat a maroon bow.

Meanwhile, Professors Von Schlemmer and Caninestein were animatedly discussing each others' theories. The first bespectacled-scientist-in-a-lab-coat-with-a-thick-accent was a human with skin the colour of the ocean which his flaming orange hair contrasted sharply with. The second bespectacled-scientist-in-a-lab-coat-with-a-thick-accent was a brown, short, shaggy dog.

Princess Sally, a half-squirrel, half-chipmunk with very light pink fur and auburn hair, watched over these proceedings in content silence. Formerly the ruler of Mobotropolis, she had been forced into exile when Robotnik, for once, successfully took over the city and renamed it Robotropolis. These days, she lived in the wilderness, using any means that weren't illegal to survive. During the winter or in times when sustenance was unavailable, Sonic brought her food.

Tails looked around thoughtfully at everybody. "Hmmm… Knuckles can't come so it looks like the only one left to get is Robot. Scrap Valley, here we come!"

* * *

It was true that Coconuts, a small grey, peach and red robot resembling a monkey with a light bulb on his head; Scratch, a tall, lanky chicken robot with different shades of grey covering his body; and Grounder, a bottle-green robot who had treads for legs and drills for a nose and hands, weren't the smartest robots on Mobius. There was no denying that, more often than not, they got fooled by Sonic's (and sometimes Tails') ridiculous disguises. And it would be incorrect to say that Sonic and Tails frequently fell for their obvious traps. And they'd be fibbing if they tried to claim that they genuinely captured that pesky hedgehog through cunning. 

But not even they were unintelligent enough to believe their ex-master's ludicrous story about being kicked out of his own fortress by another Robotnik.

"I don't believe it," said Coconuts. "Nope, nope, nope, nope!"

"Yeah!" agreed Grounder. "That's the dumbest story I've ever heard!"

"What do you think we are, stupid?" Scratch scoffed.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Robotnik turned to glare at the trio of robots that had replaced Coconuts, Scratch and Grounder. "If I want you to talk for me, Metal Sonic, I'll ask!"

Metal Sonic resembled Sonic in being blue, fast and having a red pair of 'sneakers' but that was where the similarities ended. He had red irises set in black eyes, yellow hands and a visible exhaust engine in his chest. Utterly ruthless, he would think nothing of killing someone just for the fun of it.

Metal Knuckles bore a resemblance to the red echidna the way Metal Sonic bore a resemblance to the blue hedgehog. Apart from being a robot, the only thing that set him and Knuckles apart were his green irises and murdering tendencies.

Unlike the others, Tails Doll didn't remotely look like a robot at all. In fact, he looked more like an orange teddy bear with two tails and a red jewel affixed to his head than a fox! But that didn't make him cute at all. On the contrary, it was nearly impossible for anyone to look at Tails Doll without feeling a shiver roll down a part of their body. He expressed no emotion whatsoever and never said anything unless it was absolutely necessary.

Originally, they had been created just to compete in the Mobius Grand Prix against Sonic and his pals. During the races, though, Robotnik realized that the trio of duplicates were much stronger, faster and, best of all, smarter, than those metallic morons that always failed to capture Sonic. So he sent Coconuts, Scratch and Grounder on a one-way-trip to the Scrap Valley, home of robots Robotnik no longer needed, if he ever did in the first place.

Ivo thought he would never have to consider bringing Coconuts, Scratch and Grounder back but a few months ago, he came very close to doing that.

Tired of their failures, Dr. Robotnik gave Metal Sonic, Metal Knuckles and Tails Doll each a drastic upgrade, resulting in a change of their appearances. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Robotnik, the upgrade had changed their minds as well. Not long after, he got thrown into his own dungeon by the new-and-improved threesome, who then set out to conquer Mobius on their own. However, they were stopped by Sonic and his friends and the replicas of Sonic, Knuckles and Tails reverted back to their original states of body and mind.

"For once," yelled Robotnik with enough force to shake the mountains of garbage that made up Scrap Valley, "I am telling the truth, you robotic rejects!"

The other robots that lived in Scrap Valley put up quite a protest upon hearing that insult. They started throwing trash and demanding that Robotnik leave before they really did some damage, seeing as how they outnumbered his robots by fifty to three.

When a banana peel landed on Ivo's face, it was the last straw. "Fine! If you won't help me then I'll have you all dismantled as you should have been ages ago! Metal Sonic, Metal Knuckles, Tails Doll, get them!"

The now-obedient triad of imitations charged, as did the residents of Scrap Valley.

However, before either side could make contact with each other, another robot moved between them, holding up a large TV for all to see. It was Robot, the creation and 'son' of Scratch and Grounder. A small, cute purple robot with tricycle wheels for legs and pincers for hands, Robot could only communicate in a series of beeps and whistles, a language only intelligible to fellow robots. He had left Robotnik's fortress for Scrap Valley but now that Scratch and Grounder lived there too, he had 'parents' again ("The Robots' Robot").

Beeping and whistling loudly, Robot caught the attention of all the robots and got them to take a look at the TV. What the inhabitants of Scrap Valley saw and heard was enough to make them almost deactivate of shock.

"This is Collie Chang coming to you live from Fopadopolis which is currently the scene of mass chaos. A large squadron of black robots are attacking this city and it seems that these robots are the soldiers of this Robo-Robotnik that the eight Sonics have talked about earlier. The good news is none of the robots' weapons are killing anybody. The bad news is they are doing something _much_ more sinister. Now I realize some of you are asking, 'What could possibly be more sinister than death?' Well, my viewers, you are about to find out."

The view shifted to reveal scores of dark, humanoid robots marching through the streets of the city, firing at any Mobians not fast enough to escape the range of their weapons. The camera suddenly focused on an unfortunate, orange scorpion as a laser came into contact with his body. The scorpion was frozen in mid stride, a look of abject terror on his glowing features. Then the light around his body became brighter and brighter until the scorpion faded from view.

Mere seconds later, the light disappeared just as quickly.

Everybody's jaws dropped.

Utter quiet followed for five minutes, broken only by Robotnik's gloating voice.

"Now do you believe me?"

* * *

Meanwhile, several miles away in Mobius Corners, the eight Sonic Primes gasped in horror upon watching the same events on the television in Bert's Diner. 

There was a long silence.

"…I think Robo-Robotnik's found the blueprints for the Robo-Transmogrifier," AoStH Sonic finally gulped.

On the television, the scorpion's new metallic limbs and LED eyes gleamed brightly in the sun that was ironically shining so dazzlingly on the landscape of bedlam below it.

* * *

Authoress' Note: Yes, when I was referring to their upgrades, I was talking about how Sonic Heroes happened in the AoStH world (and the Mobius Grand Prix is from Sonic R). Wouldn't it be cool if you could actually fight Metal Sonic, Metal Knuckles and Tails Doll in the game? Heck, just imagine what they would look like! 


	9. We, Robots

Chapter 8: We, Robots

"I still say this is a bad idea, Marigold," complained Jeremy as the black-and-white metallic door that led to the Universal Room opened, thanks to his hacking.

"Nonsense, Jeremy," countered Marigold as she, Jeremy and Stephanie entered the room. "With everyone focused on what's happening in the Sonicverse of Jocularity, it'll be a piece of cake to take out as many Shadow the Hedgehogs as possible. And don't you dare butt out on us now, we need you to turn on the teleportation devices."

Stephanie grinded her teeth at the sound of the black hedgehog's name. "Oooh, I still can't believe there are actually worlds where that murdering, black faker is a favourite instead of the other way around like he is in our world!"

"That's nothing," stated Marigold calmly. "I heard that fans in a few of the other universes hate Chris Thorndyke."

"What?" shouted Stephanie. "Why, the ungrateful little… How dare they hate someone who has saved Sonic's life more than once…and the whole planet too!"

"Cool it, will you, Stephanie," said Marigold. "It's their problem if they choose to hate a hero and love a villain. But we'll quickly put an end to that."

Stephanie grinned evilly. "We sure will. After all, 'fast' _are _our middle names, as any Sonic would say."

"And 'asleep' must be your last! Otherwise, you would have noticed me by now!"

From out of the shadows, a young woman in a police uniform emerged, pointing a stun rifle at them. "Marigold Wilson, Jeremy Hanks, Stephanie Crawford, you're under arrest for attempted murder and nearly violating the Ban!"

More police officers appeared, seemingly out of thin air, armed to the teeth.

Jeremy opened his mouth to say something but Stephanie cut across him, muttering, "Say 'I told you so' and I promise those will be your last words."

Jeremy closed his mouth and sighed. This was the last time he would ever hook up with someone who murdered whoever she didn't like.

* * *

"Robo-Transmogrifier?" repeated SatAM Sonic. "Don't you mean 'portable Roboticizer'?" 

"No, I mean 'Robo-Transmogrifier'," answered AoStH Sonic.

On the television, the newly robotic citizens of Fopadopolis were now helping the Shadowbots by catching Mobians and holding them in place long enough for the Shadowbots to take aim with their newly installed Robo-Transmogrifiers.

"This is so not cool," dictated SU Sonic. "With something like that, enslaving the people of our worlds will be a breeze for Robo-Robotnik!"

"What's the big deal?" asked Fleetway Sonic in an annoyed tone. "All we'd have to do is bust their robot shells open."

**Phffft!**

Upon hearing Fleetway Sonic's suggestion, Archie Sonic had spat out his free soda, nearly choking on it. When he recovered sufficiently, he joined SatAM Sonic, SU Sonic and AoStH Sonic in staring at Fleetway Sonic like he belonged in a funny farm.

Fleetway Sonic looked around at them, an even more annoyed expression on his face. "What are you looking at me like that for? They _are _Badniks… Aren't they?"

SEGA Sonic, remembering what SatAM Sonic had told him about Roboticized people in the Great Battle long ago, came to Fleetway Sonic's rescue. "They're not Badniks. Listen, you fought in the Great Battle, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, remember Cyber Sonic? _That _was partial Roboticization…or Robo-Transmogrification, whichever."

Fleetway Sonic's eyes widened and he gasped in a barely audible voice. "You mean if we try to destroy their robot shells…we end up destroying the transformed people as well?"

"I'm afraid so," answered Archie Sonic. "And that leaves us a big problem: how to change them back?"

"Hey, look,"Sonic X pointed out. "Tails is back!"

A large crowd was waiting outside the diner with Tails at the head. He walked towards the door, opened it and marched in, looking immensely proud of himself.

"I rounded up everyone I could, Sonic."

"Like we didn't notice, Pixel Brain."

Tails turned to and stared in shock at Fleetway Sonic, not used to being insulted by the only parental figure he'd ever known, while the other Sonics angrily rounded on their comrade.

"'Pixel Brain'?" repeated SatAM Sonic. "Hey, wait a minute, I remember you! You're that Tails-insulter from the Great Battle!"

"Why are you picking on him for?" demanded SU Sonic. "He's only a kid!"

"Now you listen here…" Fleetway Sonic tried to argue. "I have a good reason why I always call my Tails that…"

"No, you listen!" interrupted AoStH Sonic. "There's absolutely no excuse for making fun of him!"

"Just because he has two tails doesn't mean you have the right to…" began SEGA Sonic.

"Wait, stop! Please don't fight!"

Surprised, they all slowly turned to Tails (a first for most of them).

"I don't want you to fight!" pleaded Tails. "I-I'm sure there's a good reason why he treats me like that."

"A good reason?" said Archie Sonic incredulously. "Tails, he just called you a name!"

"I know but…before I met you, I was called worse…and beaten up a lot. I _know_ that none of you would really do anything to hurt me. Please…c-can't we listen to what he has to say?"

"For once, he's right," answered Fleetway Sonic. "The reason why I treat my friends like this is to convince my enemies that I don't care about them. That way, they wouldn't harm them because they think they're not my weaknesses. My Tails used to get kidnapped by Robotnik a lot in the good old days but he stopped after a while, thinking it wouldn't dent my spirit one bit if he died."

For a few seconds, all that the other Sonics could do was to gawk at Fleetway Sonic. Then they each got into a pose that suggested they were doing something that most of them rarely, if ever, did: thinking.

* * *

As she sat in an armchair in her living room that was lit up only by the glow of the large monitor that Irene had used to review the security tape earlier, she hardly paid any attention to the fighting that started to commence outside her flat or the stampeding wave of kids and teens that invaded her house, seeing as she was quite used to it; not to mention, a bit engrossed in the Sonic Fans' newspaper 'Sonicverse Daily'. 

Lance, who, along with Tiffany, Mavis and Flynn, was lying on the rug watching events unfold on the monitor, sighed and remarked, "Yes, just another typical, ordinary, normal, average day on the patch of land between Victoria's sector and Bertie's sector."

"You mean, Sodom and Gomorrah," corrected Irene, not bothering to look up.

"Hey, look!" cried Tiffany, pointing to the monitor. "It's JocuRobotnik!"

JocuRobotnik was clad in a pair of black pants while a red jacket with white highlights on the sleeves, front and back covered his upper half. Upon seeing the eight Sonic Primes walk out of the diner, his white gloved hands and teeth clenched in rage.

"Heh heh," chuckled Flynn. "JocuRobotnik looks just like TenaRobotnik now…except he's not drooling."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Tiffany.

"Don't tell you don't know! A few weeks ago (in the Sonicverse of Tenacity's time, that is), TenaRobotnik went barmy, deranged, mental, non compos mentis!"

"In other words, he's officially insane," stated Irene from behind her copy of Sonicverse Daily.

"Yeah. He won't or can't talk (no offence, Mavis) and there's usually a trickle of slobber dripping from his chin. Being defeated by TenaSonic one too many times did it."

"What happened to him? After he became crazy, I mean."

"He was in an asylum for a bit but Dr. Zachary, Vichama and Rouge the Bat broke him out. Now they're all on the run and are known as the Syndicate."

"Guys, will you please be quiet?" requested Lance. "I can't hear what they're saying!"

* * *

SatAM Sonic was fighting to hold in his snickers as he took a good look at the former Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad. "I can see why Robotnik replaced (snort) those three!" 

Coconuts grinded his teeth in anger. "We happen to be quite happy living in Scrap Valley, Hedgehog. Yep, yep, yep!"

Grounder grinned. "Ha ha! We got you there!"

Scratch bonked him on the head. "Oh be quiet, Grounder!"

Anime Sonic's eyes widened slightly, being used to robots having synthesized voices, and he said, "Whoa, they don't _sound _like robots at all!"

"And they even have A.I." remarked SEGA Sonic, mouth agape to an extent. The only robot that had that in his world was Metal Sonic but his A.I. had been nowhere near as advanced as these three Badniks'.

"'A.I.'?" repeated AoStH Sonic, his world not familiar with the term at all, seeing as how all robots had minds.

"It means 'Artificial Intelligence'."

A pause.

The sound of laughter coming from AoStH Sonic and Archie Sonic's throats as they collapsed on top of each other, tears streaming down their faces.

Grounder looked happy. "Wow! Did you hear that, Scratch. That Sonic said we're smart!"

Scratch appeared bewildered. "Yeah… He _did_ complement us."

Coconuts seemed suspicious. "He's obviously trying to trick us, you idiots!"

AoStH Sonic recovered his breath just enough to reply, "Artificial, definitely. Intelligence… That'd be the day!" He resumed guffawing.

"Yeah," agreed Archie Sonic. "I remember you from my world. If you ask me, your names should be 'Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest'!"

Scratch glared. "Can it, Hedgehogs!"

"Um, which one of us would be Dumbest?" asked Grounder in confusion.

"Oh, that'd obviously be you, Tin Head!" Scratch barked at Grounder. "I'd be Dumb!"

"No, you would be Dumber!" stated Coconuts angrily. _"I _would be Dumb!"

"No, me!"

…And on they went, all the while completely oblivious to the fact that SatAM Sonic, SU Sonic, Sonic X, Fleetway Sonic, SEGA Sonic and Anime Sonic had joined Archie Sonic and AoStH Sonic in their mirth.

This probably would have gone on all day hadn't Metal Knuckles decided to intervene. Stomping up to the bickering trio in irritation, he raised his hand and slashed.

"Yow-hoo-hoo-hoo!"

"Yeow!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

Massaging the large cuts on their faces, Coconuts, Scratch and Grounder turned to glare at Metal Knuckles. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Quiet, you imbecilic inferiors. Metal Sonic, come over here and…" he paused when he saw what Metal Sonic was doing and moaned, slapping his forehead, "…oh no…"

All eight Sonics turned around, took one look at Metal Sonic and burst into raucous peals of laughter, if possible, even harder than before. The metallic hedgehog was slumped over and starring stupidly at Breezie, his red irises the shape of hearts. Breezie and Robotnik Junior glared at him, their memory of the time he kidnapped her still very clear in their minds.

Sonnet stared at Metal Sonic for a moment then grinned evilly. Sneaking up behind the blissfully unaware robot, she blew a large pink bubble about the size of her head, held it near Metal Sonic's face (he still failed to notice) and popped it.

**Kablooie!**

With a face covered by a mask of bubble gum, Metal Sonic was finally brought out of his stupor with a start. He saw and glowered at Sonnet.

"Oooh, when I am through with you…!" he leapt at Sonnet.

Fleetway Sonic leapt in the robot's path. "Chill out, Metallix. Or do you wanna go one-on-eight?" The other Sonics appeared at his side.

Metal Sonic glared at the hedgehogs then stormed off, muttering something about becoming an overlord again.

"Now that that's out of the way… Yo! Professor Von Schlemmer and Professor Caninestein!" AoStH Sonic called.

The pair of scientists walked over. "Yes, Sonic?"

"You think you two could work on an invention that would reverse the effects of the Robo-Transmogrifiers?"

Professor Von Schlemmer scratched his scalp. "Hmmm… Perhaps we can but we'll need to look at a Robo-Transmogrifier first."

Professor Caninestein nodded. "Indeed and who knows how long it might take to construct just one invention that could undo Robo-Transmogrification."

AoStH Sonic smiled confidently. "With the eight of us, making lots of these will be…"

At that moment, AoStH Sonic stopped talking and a far-away look appeared on his face, as he was in a trance. He stood like that for five seconds then he ran off, alarming everybody and yelling, "Come on, someone needs our help!"


	10. Over the Sea

Chapter 9: Over the Sea

Stars were starting to peek out from the now-indigo sky, signifying the onset of night. Meanwhile, on the ground, the other Sonics followed AoStH Sonic, all the while trying to ask what the matter was.

"What are you doing?" Anime Sonic demanded to know.

"I told you, someone needs our help!" replied AoStH Sonic, not bothering to look back. "Don't ask how I know, I just do!"

"He's definitely gone mad," remarked Fleetway Sonic in an annoyed tone.

"He doesn't look angry to me, Sonic."

Fleetway Sonic looked up with a scowl. "Not that kind of mad, Pix…Tails. I mean he's gone crazy.

Tails hovered over Fleetway Sonic by spinning his two tails, frowning. "That's not very…"

"What the…!" SU Sonic yelled out in surprise as he looked up, nearly stumbling. "He can fly?"

"Course I can, Sonic," smiled Tails.

SU Sonic continued to stare. "Kid, you never cease to amaze me."

Tails giggled and started to reply…

"Help!"

The other Sonic turned around and stopped just in time to avoid crashing into AoStH Sonic, who had halted, and sending them all tumbling into the sea from the pier they were standing on.

"Sonic, it's Merna!" Tails pointed out towards the ocean.

The top half of a yellow, female hedgehog could be seen above the water a half a mile away. She was trying desperately to swim to shore as fast as she could and no wonder; a twelve-foot-tall steel grey robot constructed in the shape of an octopus was chasing her. The beast was propelling itself by some unseen device and the eight tentacles were attempting to scoop its prey into its sucker-like mouth.

"Hang on, Merna!"

With that said, AoStH Sonic bravely dove into the brine, followed shortly by SatAM Sonic. The rest stayed on the pier, looking both shocked and worried.

A second later, both AoStH Sonic and SatAM Sonic surfaced and proceeded to tread water. They looked at their comrades and SatAM Sonic asked, "Well? Aren't you coming? And what are you staring at?"

The other Sonics looked at each other in hesitation before Archie Sonic spoke up.

"I can't swim."

SatAM Sonic and AoStH Sonic's jaws dropped. "Say what?"

"And neither can the rest of us, I think."

"He's right."

"I'm not fond of water."

"I sink like a rock."

"Amen."

"What they said."

AoStH Sonic continued to gape at them. "Let me get this straight: not one of you can swim an inch even to save somebody's life?"

"Well, I did rescue Amy from drowning ('The Last Resort')," replied Sonic X, "but that was only once and… Hey, wait a minute! I remember running across a river once ('How to Catch a Hedgehog')!"

"Without sinking?" queried Anime Sonic incredulously.

"Come to think of it," remarked SEGA Sonic, "I do recall running across bodies of water in my adventures…_if_ I did it at a high enough speed. Something Tails said about not giving the water enough time to displace."

"Cool!" stated Tails.

"So what are you waiting for then?" shouted SatAM Sonic, a bit miffed. "Get down to the beach and put the pedal to the metal!"

"Or are you scared?" questioned AoStH Sonic with a grin.

"We are not!" uttered SU Sonic. "Just give us a Sonic second to join you."

SU Sonic, Anime Sonic, SEGA Sonic, Sonic X, Archie Sonic and Fleetway Sonic then ran down the pier back to the beach.

"Come on," said AoStH Sonic to SatAM Sonic. "Let's go rescue Merna. The others will catch up." They swam off with Tails flying close behind.

At this point, the octopus had wrapped Merna's entire body save her head with a metallic tentacle and was beginning to squeeze the life out of her.

"Yo, Eight Arms!"

The octopus' eyes swivelled in the direction it heard the voice – only to have AoStH Sonic snatch Merna right out of its arm. They landed in the water, the robot's attention thankfully fixed on SatAM Sonic, who was mocking it.

"Are you alright, Merna?"

"Y-yes, Sonic," she answered nervously as she looked from one Sonic to the other.

"Get to safety. We'll handle this."

As if on cue, the other six Sonics arrived, running on top of the water and trying hard not to look at the briny deep below their feet.

Merna opened her mouth to reply, changed her mind and began swimming toward the coast.

The eight Sonics and Tails looked at the octo-bot, which was thrashing around angrily at having lost its quarry.

AoStH Sonic grinned. "I know that's an octopus and not a squid, but... Calamari, anyone?"

* * *

"See? I told you there were eight Holy Hedgehogs." 

"Wow. They must be from other worlds!"

Silhouetted against the twin moons of Mobius were two Chao, each gazing at the battle taking place below them.

"This is quite a development! We must tell the others!"

"Yes. We just might stand a chance now!"

"Let's hope so. I shudder to think that that _thing_ is here."

"Who doesn't? That creature will lie in wait for victims to torture and give it strength until we defeat it."

"And if just one Holy Hedgehog were to fall into its grasp...well, I don't want to think about it!"

They flew off, hope starting to gleam in their hearts alongside their worries.

* * *

Clarissa was up against the colourless wall, cornered by the very Sonamy group she had asked to join. Just seconds before, she had been interrogated by the leader to see if she was fit. 

"What did you say?" demanded the leader. "You can't like Mina, Newbie

"W-Why not?" she stuttered nervously.

"Duh, she's a rival! Sonic might fall in love with her and reject Amy!"

"But I didn't say I like Sonina," Clarissa protested. "I just like Mina as a person!"

"So? You also said you hate Sally _and_ Sonally!"

"Well, that's because she doesn't wear much clothing and, not to mention, she's selfish..."

"It doesn't matter!" The leader interrupted. "Newbie, the point is, Mina is as much a threat to Amy being Sonic's girlfriend as Sally is! And if you want to join this club, you have to start hating her too!"

"But..."

"No buts! Now repeat after me: I solemnly swear to detest all rivals to the Sonamy relationship in all possible Sonicverses and their respectful Fans."

"...uh...I-I solemnly sw-swear to detest all rivals to, to the Sonamy relationship i-in all possible Sonicverses a-a-and their respectful Fans."

"Good," said the leader, satisfied. "Now we can continue the interrogation."

Clarissa couldn't help but sigh. Just what had she gotten herself into?

* * *

By now, the aquatic machine was in fairly bad shape. Its left eye was cracked and blinked spasmodically while the right eye was nothing more than a gaping hole. To top it off, three of its arms had been sawn off and there were numerous gashes in its hide. 

The eight Sonic Primes and Tails looked at it triumphantly. "Ready to give up yet, you overgrown stack of jellyfish?" inquired SU Sonic with a grin.

In response, the octopus extended its five remaining arms in a circle around it, causing the hedgehogs and fox to tense up, ready to evade if it tried anything. It did something much unexpected though; it started spinning. Slowly at first but picking up speed until it nothing but a grey blur.

"Uh-oh," remarked Tails.

A column of water erupted around the robot, enveloping it and forming a waterspout. The suction began to pull in the Sonics and Tails.

"Whoa!" yelled Archie Sonic as he began to attempt to run away. "We're being sucked in!"

"Obviously!" hollered Fleetway Sonic sarcastically.

"Help!" shouted Tails as he was swept past the hedgehogs.

"Tails!" AoStH Sonic turned around and started swimming toward his little buddy.

"Sonic!" Tails managed to grab a hold of his adopted brother's outstretched hand but now they were heading irreversibly for the swirling mass of H2O and sodium chloride.

**Kablooie!**

The octopus suddenly, violently exploded and the Sonics that had been running or swimming full steam suddenly shot off and ended up on the beach in less than a millisecond while AoStH Sonic and Tails remained in the water.

"Huh? What happened?" asked Tails in confusion.

"Good question," answered AoStH Sonic, "and there's our answer." He pointed at the pier.

Metal Sonic was standing there, arm outstretched to where the marine robot used to be.

SU Sonic's jaw dropped. "You saved us!"

"If anyone's gonna defeat you, it'll be _me!" _he said smugly. "Not some fifth-rate piece of junk! By the way, your little friends are on the way."

"Are you okay?" asked a waist-deep Merna with concern as AoStH Sonic and Tails swam back to shore.

"We're fine, Merna. But why was that robot chasing you?"

"Because it wanted to keep me from getting help; Mertopia's under attack!"

"What!"

"I've been swimming for hours trying to find land and you, Sonic."

"'Trying to find land?'" repeated Sonic X. "Is Mertopia on an island?"

"Well... No. You see, Mertopia's not on an island..." she knelt down and did a handstand then her voice came clearly through the water. "...it's underwater."

With the exception of AoStH Sonic, the Sonics' eyes, even Metal Sonic's, nearly bulged right out of their sockets. For in the place of a pair of legs was the yellow tail of a fish, the wet scales glistening in the moonlight.

Merna then stood up. "Yes, I'm a merhog."

"That couldn't have been anymore obvious," said Fleetway Sonic monotonely, still in shock.

Authoress' Note: I find it weird and hypocritical that many a Sonamy Fan loathes Sally but likes Mina, hence the scene.


	11. Breaking the Fast

Authoress' Note: Perhaps you've noticed something different about every chapter in this story. Want to know what it is? No review responses! Being the law-abiding and careful citizen I am (you should see me when I'm driving) and in light of the new feature which allows you to respond to reviews via e-mail, I decided to get rid of the review responses in the previous chapters. But that doesn't mean I still won't answer them! On with the show!

Chapter 10: Breaking the Fast

The light of the newly-risen sun shone down on the campsite of the Freedom Fighters, illuminating the forms of tents and eight dead-to-the-world hedgehogs and one sleeping fox under a tree. The entire camp was positioned as close to Robotnik's fortress as possible without being detected. A few stars continued to twinkle in the portion of sky that was still dark and the muted sounds of crickets and the occasional owl could still be heard.

**Twweeeeet!**

The shrill sound of a whistle shattered the relative silence, followed closely by a gruff voice barking, "Rise and shine, rookies!"

A few heads poked sleepily out of their tents to glare at a large, muscular, brown dog in a greenish-grey army uniform.

A kangaroo named MacHopper took note of the position of the sun in the sky and yawned. "It's only six o'clock in the morning, mate."

"Exactly, young man!" yelled Sergeant Doberman. "I've already let you all sleep in a whole half-hour! Now fall in!"

But they all withdrew back into their tents.

"Forget it."

"Go away."

"And pipe down."

Sergeant Doberman growled. "Now listen here, you lazy civilians! I'll have you all know that being retired doesn't stop me from getting up at five hundred hours sharp every morning! And, furthermore, all the robots are up too, making breakfast!"

"That's because robots don't _need_ sleep, you big, silly pooch," yawned Hodgepodge, a brown hare.

Sergeant Doberman turned irately to the tent where the voice had come from. "Hey, you! That's no way to speak to your commanding officer! Get out here and give me ten thou…"

"Honey!" a high-pitched voice called out. "I've lost my glasses!"

"Coming, dear!" With that, Sergeant Doberman hurried off to the makeshift artillery range where his wife was practicing.

"Good, he's gone. Now let's get some shuteye."

"…"

"…Hey, wait a minute. Didn't he say the robots are cooking breakfast?"

"…!"

* * *

Sergeant Doberman lifted his face out of the dirt from which it had been trampled into, spat out a few broken teeth and shouted, "Now that's more… Hey!" 

Everyone had sat themselves down at a bunch of picnic tables. Nearby, various robots were preparing food on several barbecue grills.

Sergeant Doberman shakily stood up, hollering, "Get away from there! No rations until I've seen you march!"

"And get a stomach ache? I don't think so, palsy!" retorted Wes Weasley, a tall weasel in a door-to-door salesman's suit. "Although then I'd probably be able to sell these new ultra-deluxe Topep-Molbis pills: guaranteed to take care of your stomach ills!"

"Well then, Weasley. If you're so keen…"

"Darling! Get over here and help me find my specs!"

"Yes, sweetheart!" And off he went again.

* * *

"Nnnnooooooooooooooo!" Erik fearfully got down on his knees and clasped his hands in a begging gesture. "Please, your honour! Have mercy! Anything but that!" 

The judge looked coolly down on the grovelling boy. "Forget it, Erik. You're going to stay in the Neutral Zone for a week, whether you like it or not. Of course, there's no 'whether' about it."

"I'm innocent, I tell you. _Innocent!"_

The judge's frown transformed into a glare. "In case you haven't been paying attention this whole trial, over two dozen people saw you pull that not-so-funny stunt."

Erik tried a different approach. "I'll do anything…else! Feed the greenhouse's Piranha Plants, go to Cool, Cool Mountain in nothing but my underwear, I'll even let myself come down with Bean Fever and turn into a bean, just don't, please don't, by all that is good and holy, send me to live among those…those…those bloodthirsty barbarians for a whole week! I won't last seven seconds, let alone seven days!"

"Sorry, Erik, but the decision stands." The judge slammed his mallet down. "Take him away!"

A couple of guards marched up to Erik, lifted him up bodily by his arms and frogmarched him, kicking and screaming, out the door.

"It was really nice knowing you, Erik," a friend of his said as he walked by, taking off his cap and placing it near his chest while another asked, "Can I have your card collection?" In addition, someone in the courtroom started whistling 'Taps.'

"That guy is so officially doomed," uttered a male member of the jury as everybody started leaving.

"Yeah," agreed another. "Those savages will use _any_ excuse for a fight. Especially a Fan of any other culture."

"You know what they fight about the most? The perfect girlfriend for Sonic."

"Yeah! Unlike them, we Mario Fans all agree that Peach belongs with Mario and Daisy belongs with Luigi. Ow!"

A young woman angrily pulled on his ear. "'Belongs?' Are you saying that women are men's property to use as they choose? Then our date is off, Darrel!" She marched off.

Darrel desperately chased after her. "No, wait, Patricia! That's not what I meant at all! Come back! Please forgive me! Does this mean marriage is totally out of the question? Hey, wait a second, isn't that the bouquet of Fire Flowers I… _Yyyeeeeooowwwwwcchh! _Hot, hot, hot! Help!"

* * *

"Oh Sonic," called Miss Possum. "The chili dogs are ready." 

Immediately, Fleetway Sonic, SEGA Sonic, AoStH Sonic, SatAM Sonic, SU Sonic, Archie Sonic and Tails woke up and zoomed to one of several picnic tables, big grins on their faces.

"Yum!" commented Tails. He was about to take a bite of one when he noticed something.

"Sonic, those three Sonics are still asleep!" He pointed towards Anime Sonic and Sonic X .

Fleetway Sonic walked over and shook Anime Sonic. "Come on, lazybones, wake up. Time for breakfast."

Anime Sonic responded by rolling over.

"Yo, slowmoes!" called SatAM Sonic. "They're serving chili dogs!"

Still no response.

SEGA Sonic scratched his head in bewilderment. "They must be really tired if even chili dogs can't wake them up."

Princess Sally looked over at a nearby radio sitting on a table and got an idea. Smirking sneakily, she picked it up, brought the radio over to the two hedgehogs' ears as close as possible, turned the volume up and switched it on.

A song started playing full blast and Anime Sonic and Sonic X instantly sat bolt upright yet it wasn't the loudness of the song that woke them so much as the lyrics.

"Sonic the Hedgehog!

"You can't catch what you can't see.

"Sonic the Hedgehog!

"He's gonna make Mobius free!

"He's a teenage fugitive on the run

"Eating chili dogs by the ton!

"No matter how fast the chase becomes,

"There's always time to have some fun!"

Sonic X grinned and did a thumbs-up. "Great song!"

"'Mobius'?" repeated Anime Sonic in confusion. "What's that? A grand city?"

Everyone stared at him for a moment before AoStH Sonic answered, "It's the name of the planet I live on. Where we are right now, of course."

"_What?" _shouted Anime Sonic in incredulity. "What kind of name is that for a planet?"

"Well, what's the name of yours?" queried Fleetway Sonic in a rude tone.

"Planet Freedom."

SatAM Sonic cocked an eyebrow. "I take it Robuttnik hasn't conquered your world."

"Nah. Just the inner dimension."

"The _what?"_

"You know, the… Oh wait, don't tell me; this planet's just like the others in my universe's solar system. One dimension only."

"What are you talking about?" enquired a confounded SU Sonic.

"Planet Freedom is made of two dimensions:" explained Anime Sonic, "the Land of Darkness, which is the inner dimension, and the Land of the Sky, which is the outer dimension."

"What are they like?" asked Archie Sonic curiously.

"Well, the Land of Darkness is usually dark, hence the name, because the Land of the Sky above blocks out most sunlight. Nothing lives there except Dr. Robotnik and several plants which had adapted to their dark habitats. The Land of the Sky is, as you might have guessed, in the sky, composed of several floating islands. I live there, along with most of the planet's inhabitants."

"Wow."

"I was wondering earlier," continued Anime Sonic, "how there could be such a big ocean in the outer dimension of this world since, in my world, the biggest sea is in the Land of Darkness. I should have figured this planet wasn't like mine."

"And speaking of oceans," Archie Sonic turned to AoStH Sonic, "mind telling us how you knew Merna was in trouble?"

AoStH Sonic grinned with embarrassment. "Heh heh, I kind of don't know myself. It was just a feeling I got. I think Merna was telling me with her mind that she was in danger."

"That's something like how I did it." A large aquarium the size of a tank on wheels came over with Merna's head sticking out. "I'd explain more but it's forbidden. If we merhogs tell outsiders all of our secrets, we'd lose our heritage."

"Really."

At that moment, Coconuts, Scratch and Grounder strolled by, talking amongst themselves.

"It's about time _someone _realized what geniuses we really are," discussed Scratch happily.

"Yeah," agreed Grounder, "but I'd never thought that any Sonic would admit it. He's too stupid to understand just how bright we are."

"You mean stubborn," corrected Coconuts.

AoStH Sonic rolled his eyes then said to SEGA Sonic, "You really shouldn't have told them they're smart."

"Well…" stalled SEGA Sonic, trying to think up a way to explain, "they are…at least, compared to the robots in my universe."

The three Badniks stopped and listened with interest. Tails' eyes widened. "You mean there're actually robots that are even more stupid than those three dumbots?

"They'd have to be pretty brain-dead," quipped AoStH Sonic.

"Well, the robots in my dimension talk like this." SEGA Sonic cleared his throat and said, in a monotone, "I – only – serve – my – master."

Nearly everyone within hearing range gasped and Coconuts remarked, "Yikes! The robots in that Sonic's world are so unintelligent, they don't even know how to talk right!"

Robot, looking offended, rolled up to the monkeybot and said a series of bleeps and clicks that were intelligible only to robots.

"I didn't mean it that way, Robot," clarified Coconuts, "You talk normal."

Robot seemed satisfied. Then he turned around and saw Metal Knuckles stalking towards him, a malevolent grin plastered on his face. He gave a squeal of terror and hid behind his 'parents,' (or, at least, the people who had created him) Scratch and Grounder.

Scratch glowered at the robotic echidna. "Hey! Get away from our Schnookums!"

"Yeah! Or else!" added Grounder.

Metal Knuckles scoffed. "Or else what?"

"Or else you'll have to contend with me."

Metal Knuckles turned around and saw Metal Sonic in a fighting pose.

The robotic hedgehog moved closer. "Don't make another move."

Metal Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Metal Sonic, what did Breezie guarantee you this occasion?" Metal Sonic was a lot smarter than Coconuts, Scratch and Grounder combined but when it came to romance, he could sometimes be just as gullible. The fact that Breezie could be quite seductive and manipulative didn't help matters either.

"A kiss in trade for keeping you from injuring that automaton."

Metal Knuckles stomped up to him. "When are you going to discover that that daft female will not, does not, shall not and cannot feel affection for you?"

Metal Sonic's eyes widened then furrowed into a glare as he screamed, "You have the effrontery to affront my treasured Breezie?!" He pounced and so began an all-out brawl.

Some people cheered them on while others laughed. Robotnik Junior was one of the latter. "That was great, Breezie!" he remarked to his wife.

"Works every time," she stated with a smug grin.


	12. Slowwwww Going Again

Authoress' Note: I…really…loathe…writer's…block… This probably isn't as good as my other chapters thus.

Chapter 11: Slowwwww Going Again

"Si vous plait, madame," said Chef Wolfgang Puke, a robotic pig in a greasy apron and chef's hat. "I insist you try it." He held up a frying pan to Miss Possum, who looked in it curiously and abruptly backed away, face twisted in revulsion.

"Uh… no thanks," answered Miss Possum, "Ah'm not feeling that hungry."

She was then sent spinning by a metallic blur of blue that stopped right in front of Metal Knuckles.

"Where have you been…?" started the robotic echidna but he stopped when he saw Metal Sonic's appearance clearly. "Oh. Never mind."

The robotic hedgehog was covered in burns, slobber, exotic plants and, in his hand, he carried a bouquet of flowers, each a different colour of the rainbow and with five round petals. He then walked up to Breezie and showed them to her.

"Hmmm… Mobisia Marvelosa Marigoldias," sighed Breezie contentedly, taking and smelling them. "How nice of Robotnik Jr. to remember."

"Hey! It was _I_ who ventured into that treacherous jungle, brawled with an assemblage of crocodiles, fled from a faction of cannibals _and_ deceived a fire-breathing dragon to pick them!"

Breezie pretended to have temporarily gone deaf.

At that moment, Tails Doll rushed by her, dressed as a cook and precariously carrying plates of scrambled eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs, poached eggs and every other kind of cooked eggs you could think of.

"Hurry up, you!" yelled AoStH Robotnik, banging his fork and spoon on his personal picnic table. "I haven't dined since Robo-Robotnik barged into my fortress around suppertime yesterday!"

Tails Doll quietly set the platters down in front of Ivo, who immediately started digging in ravenously and sending bits of egg everywhere, much to the Sonics' disgust.

"Sheesh, Eggman, now I know why you look like an egg," stated SEGA Sonic.

"'Eggman'?" repeated SatAM Sonic, an eyebrow raised. "Why 'Eggman'?"

"Well, why not? In my world, his body's shaped like an egg so that's what I call him."

"Aw, that's not half as good an insult as 'Robuttnik'," said SU Sonic with a small grin.

"Nah. 'Egg-Belly' is the best."

"Robutthead!"

"Ro-nut-nik!"

"Egg Breath!"

"Julian!"

"Julian?!" the other Sonics repeated.

"That's his real name in my world."

"Will you shut up!" thundered Robotnik angrily, red in the face, steam coming out of his ears, and the eight hedgehogs ran off laughing.

* * *

"Three…" began Lance. 

"…Two…" continued Tiffany.

"…One…" finished Flynn.

"_**I hate that hedgehog!"**_

Grinning, Mavis quickly wrote something down on a small chalkboard she carried with her at all times. It said, in the white dust of chalk, 'I never get tired of hearing that.'

"Although it should be pluralized in this case," stated Irene.

* * *

"The trouble with Robotnik is that he can never take a joke," chuckled AoStH Sonic when they entered a secluded grove. "Come on; let's get some more chili dogs." 

"Oh no, not chili dogs again. Why are you so obsessed with them?" moaned Anime Sonic.

"Yeah, where's the fun in eating the same food all the time?" enquired Sonic X.

The other six Sonics froze on the spot. Approximately five minutes later, they slowly turned to the two chilli-dog-hating (and very bewildered) hedgehogs.

Then SU Sonic stomped up to Anime Sonic, seized him by the scruff of his neck and hissed crossly, "Okay, who are you and what did you do with the _real_ other Sonics?"

It was a that moment that a ray of beam shot out of seemingly nowhere and enveloped them all.

It was as if someone had put everything except them in fast-forward. A snail quickly crawled by them and up a flower while the leaves on the trees appeared to be blown by the wind so much that nothing could be seen but a green blur.

"Oh no," moaned AoStH Sonic, "not again."

"What on Mobius is going on?" yelled Archie Sonic as he looked wildly around. "The whole world's suddenly gone super fast!"

"Actually, it's we who've become super slow."

"That's right, losers!" said rapidly a high-pitched voice reminiscent of one of the Chipmunks.

They looked and saw Evil Sonic, who was brandishing a bazooka-esque weapon. "You've been hit by the Slow-Mo Ray!"

"'The Slow-Mo Ray?'" repeated Fleetway Sonic in abhorrence, "What a lame name."

"But what an effective weapon! Thanks to this baby," he patted it fondly, "you're all now slower than a garden snail! And your voices sound like foghorns too."

"Don't remind us. And you're one to talk."

"Whatever. Get them, Shadowbots!"

A squadron of Shadowbots stepped out of the trees from behind Evil Sonic and stomped rapidly towards the good Sonics. They tried in vain to run but could only manage a slow trot and were subsequently grabbed by the robots with ease.

"Bummer Majoris," remarked SU Sonic as he struggled feebly.

"Hey, wait a sec… I'll bet _those _guys," SatAM Sonic pointed accusingly at the two chili dog loathing hedgehogs, "have something to do with this!"

"Now that you mention it," uttered Archie Sonic thoughtfully, "it does seem rather convenient that we were taken completely by surprise and far from everybody else too."

Evil Sonic frowned ever so slightly. What's this? The do-gooders suspected each other of betrayal? He _had_ to take advantage of this.

"Right you are!" replied Evil Sonic haughtily. "Those two are actually spies that have been telling me and Robo-Robotnik all that's been going on. We waited for the perfect moment to strike and voila! But of course, since we've successfully captured you all, we don't need their services anymore so they'll be joining you in becoming robots!"

"He's lying!" yelled Anime Sonic angrily and he made a very unsuitable hand gesture…and was surprised when he saw that it was fogged up – like a suspect's face on one of those crime shows.

"D#$& you!" SEGA Sonic's eyes widened in astonishment and he covered his throat, shocked at the fact that what sounded like a bicycle horn had conveniently blocked out the bad word he had said.

* * *

"Well, wouldn't you know it?" remarked Lance out loud in slight amazement. "The Sonicverse of Jocularity is so innocent, it obscures anything inappropriate automatically!" 

"That shouldn't come as a surprise," said Irene melancholically, "After all, in our universes, it always was and/or is suitable for young children."

"And yet every so often, a little mature joke is snuck in," stated Flynn, adjusting his new pair of sunglasses.

"Like…?" asked Tiffany in curiosity.

"The time that Sonic was in a saloon and ordered, 'Couple of chili dogs and a beer…_root _beer, that is' ('The Magnificent Sonic')."

"And I recall this one time," butt in Lance, "that Sonic tricked Scratch and Grounder until thinking they had become radio talk celebrities and Grounder said into the microphone, 'Hello, ladybots! I'm single and willing to disassemble…' ('Sonic's Song')"

'And when Sonic and Tails found that corpse!'

Lance, Tiffany and Flynn stared upon reading those words on Mavis' chalkboard, who then promptly ducked Irene's ebony stick.

"Quit exaggerating, Mavis." Irene's voice had only a touch of annoyance. "The event she's referring to is when Sonic and Tails opened a closet door while trying to find a place to hide and found a human skeleton 'talking' on an old-fashioned telephone. Nonetheless, the appearance of it did freak those two out."

"Ohhhh," drawled Tiffany in understanding with a small grin. "I get it! Secrets!"

"You have no idea. The particular location they found that was on an abandoned space station…"

"Hmmm," murmured Lance

"…that was shut down three years ago due to Robotnik's draining the government of money…"

Flynn gasped.

"…and was home to a purple, one-eyed, slime monster that wanted to devour Sonic and Tails quite badly."

"No way!" articulated Tiffany. "Shadow's home…?"

"You research it for yourself. I'm not telling you something that can be easily looked up."

* * *

"Oh no! Sonic!" They all heard a voice that sounded, to the good Sonics' ears, even more high-pitched than Evil Sonic's and looked up to see Tails flying courageously their way to the rescue. 

"Oh no you don't, brat!" Evil Sonic took aim with the Slow-Mo Ray and fired – but not before having his foot stomped on by Anime Sonic's, causing him to yell out in pain and miss his mark by three millimetres.

"Tails, no!" yelled AoStH Sonic desperately. "Fly away and warn the others!"

The fox's eyes widened in horrified recognition when he heard his idol's apparently deepened and slowed-down voice once again. "But Sonic…!"

"_Just do it, little bro!"_

Tails faltered for a moment then turned around and soared off.

"Grrrr… Why you…" Evil Sonic hopped on one foot over toAnime Sonic and punched him squarely in the nose, hoping to give him a nosebleed but was astonished to find that all he did was bruise Anime Sonic's nose which healed in a few seconds.

"Hmph. Stupid universe. Can't even get someone hurt right." He motioned to the Shadowbots and they started following him back to Robo-Robotnik's fortress with the eight Sonic Primes in tow.

"I have half a mind to turn you all into robots right now but Robo-Robotnik wants some guinea pigs with which to test the _other_ cool weapons this world's Robotnik invented. And then afterwards, I'll transform you into robots and get to order you all around! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!"


	13. Cracking Contraptions

Semi-Important Authoress' Note: HOLD IT! Before reading this chapter, I advise you to read this note first. Otherwise, you will get confused.

The other day, I innocently checked Sonic the Hedgehog's article on Wikipedia and (you're not going to believe this) apparently, SEGA Sonic's favourite food, according to the Japanese instruction manual for Sonic Advance 3, is…chili dogs too.

And because one of the three things I value in a good fic are consistency, I slightly altered parts of some of the previous chapters so SEGA Sonic would be a chili-dog-loving hedgehog as he should be. Thank you for reading this and have a nice day.

Chapter 12: Cracking Contraptions

He was in a foul mood again.

And she waited patiently for him to calm down, face showing no emotions yet feeling a bit of his rage as well.

She had come, bringing news about the eight Sonic Primes being captured, only to find him livid to the point where he couldn't coherently converse with her. But she had already known that. Their curse made them connected in some way so they felt each others' emotions to an extent.

At last, she felt him begin to calm down, felt him fatigued from all the thrashing. She wouldn't have known otherwise; after all, he was trapped in a large greyish-black egg.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice penetrating the shell of his ovoid prison and reverberating around the sombre, metallic room.

She got down on one knee and bowed, purple cape flowing behind her. "Your highness, the eight hedgehogs have been imprisoned but there is a glitch in our plans."

"And that would be…?"

"Two of them revealed that they don't like chili dogs and the other six mistrusted them immediately. To make matters worse, our making Evil Sonic show up at that particular moment has only deepened their suspicions and Evil Sonic took advantage of this, claiming that the two had been spies that he no longer has a use for."

"Hmmm… That is problematic. We can, after all, only manipulate their actions to a degree."

"I have faith in them though. I know they'll trust again. Now if you please excuse me, your majesty, I must go before my absence is noted." She turned to leave.

It was only when she exited the room that she heard and felt his scream of rage and frustration.

* * *

Anime Sonic and Sonic X were not being spoken to. The other Sonics were turned frostily away from them, staring at the grey walls surrounding their egg-shaped prison of electricity in stony silence.

After an hour, the Slow-Mo ray's effects had worn off and they had tried to bust out of their cell, only to be shocked by the yellowish-green barrier. So, for once, they had either taken to thinking of a way out or brooding on the two Sonics' double-crossing.

"Hello, goodie two-shoes!"

They all looked up to see Evil Sonic walk in, lugging behind him a trolley loaded with various gadgets.

"Uh-oh. I know what those things all are!" stated AoStH Sonic, looking warily at the inventions.

"You must be from this world," deducted Evil Sonic. "Yes, these are all gizmos this universe's Robotnik invented. Robo-Robotnik found the blueprints for them and recreated them! What do you think?"

"I think Robo-Egg-Breath is pretty unoriginal," quipped Fleetway Sonic sarcastically.

"Speaking of unoriginal, how _did _you get the Slow-Mo Ray to work?" asked AoStH Sonic. "I remember throwing the crystal that powered it into a river."

"Easy," answered Evil Sonic. "Robo-Robotnik used his world's technology to improve the Slow-Mo Ray so that it only needed ordinary batteries to work! But enough talk."

Evil Sonic started picking up (or, in the case of the heavier objects, dragging) the weapons off the trolley and placing them near the force field. "You are now officially guinea pigs instead of hedgehogs. And you better hope these things actually work! Otherwise," here, he grinned evilly, "the effects might be irreversible."

"In case you haven't noticed by now, creep," insulted SatAM Sonic with a glare, "we're not slow-moes anymore so we'll be able to dodge anything you throw at us…if you can get them through here!" He pointed at the electric blockade.

"You're forgetting, dummy, that I can move as fast as you. Heck, faster even! And there's not much room to run in that cramped space either. Not to mention, I can open up little holes in the Egg Prison's shell to shoot through!"

He looked over the devices, trying to decide which one to test first. After about a minute, he finally settled on a large, blue, rectangular machine that had a humongous ray gun sticking out on top.

He then walked over to a nearby control panel, adjusted a few dials and a hole big enough to put a fist through appeared in the Egg Prison's energy field.

He sauntered back to the machine and grinned mischievously at the good Sonics. "One of you guys is in for a little surprise," joked Evil Sonic as he activated the blue contraption.

A yellow beam of light shot out and struck SatAM Sonic dead-on, making him emit a yelp of surprise. The other Sonics shielded their eyes from the brightness of the ray until it faded away.

When they uncovered their peepers, they found that SatAM Sonic had seemingly vanished.

"Hey!" yelled Sonic X, turning angrily towards Evil Sonic. "What did you do to him! Where did he go?"

"Relax, he's still around; just a tiny bit altered…not that _you'd _care, spy! There he is now." He pointed towards where SatAM Sonic had been standing.

The imprisoned hedgehogs looked at the exact spot, yet saw nothing…nothing but a big speck of dust, that is. They leaned a little closer and saw, to their horror, that the 'speck' in question was blue, had spikes and was waving frantically.

SatAM Sonic was now scarcely bigger than a insect.

"Behold, the effects of the Super Shrink Ray! ("Honey, I shrunk the Hedgehog")" announced Evil Sonic dramatically. "Virtually guaranteed to make any do-gooder small enough to squash like the bug he is! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

From his jacket pocket, Evil Sonic took out a comic book. The cerulean villain then looked at the thingamajigs again, picked out and heaved, with some difficulty, a gigantic, aqua-coloured, hairdryer-like gun onto his shoulder.

"Prepare to enter your own little world – literally!"

He tossed the comic book up into the air between him and the other Sonics. At the exact moment that it was between the evil hedgehog and the good hedgehogs, he fired.

The white ray hit the comic book then Archie Sonic. The comic book landed in the Egg Prison, open, and a small tornado formed above it, holding a yelling heroic hedgehog in its grip. The tornado subsequently withdrew into the comic book, taking Archie Sonic with it!

After a few seconds of silence, the lingering good Sonics dared to come closer to the comic book to take a look and saw, much to their astonishment, Archie Sonic in all the panels, running away from a slobbering monster!

"Say hello to the Portable Portal Transporter! ("Sonically Ever After") How many times can _you_ say that fast?"

He set the heavy machine down with a sigh of relief and picked up another ray gun. He looked at it thoughtfully for a moment then abruptly turned and fired it at AoStH Sonic.

A pink bright light enveloped AoStH Sonic for a few seconds then dissipated. For a moment, all he did was blink. Then his face dissolved into a lopsidedly silly grin, his eyes became unfocused and he reached a hand out to touch the Egg Prison's shell. "Ooooh… Pretty."

Needless to say, AoStH Sonic received a big shock as punishment. Nevertheless, as soon as his hand was forced away from the barrier, he touched it again and again, giggling childishly all the while. The other Sonics were too amazed at his behaviour to stop him.

"And that would be the Stupidity Ray! ("Attack on the Pinball Fortress")" proclaimed Evil Sonic. "Capable of making anyone, even you, dumber than they already are!"

Evil Sonic next picked up what appeared to be a yellow wristwatch, minus the hands and numbers. He swaggered right over to the Egg Prison, stuck his hand through the hole, grabbed SU Sonic's hand, dragged it back out and slapped the 'wristwatch' on SU Sonic's wrist.

Immediately, SU Sonic's pupils dilated and he said, monotonously, "Please command me, O most glorious master." The other Sonics gasped.

"That's the Servitude Patch, although it looks more like a watch than a patch, wouldn't you say? ("Sno Problem") Heh heh heh heh. Well, as long as he'll do anything I say, I might as well have a little fun. Hey, you! Touch the Egg Prison's force field!"

Without hesitation, SU Sonic obeyed, not even crying out in pain as the electricity coursed through his body. After a few seconds, like AoStH Sonic, his hand was pushed away and he stood stock still once more, awaiting further instructions.

"If you think he's obedient now, wait 'til he – and the rest of you – becomes a robot! Ha ha!"

Evil Sonic now held up what seemed like a brass horn with a loop in the middle and two buttons on its side. He looked at the buttons in slight puzzlement and placed his chin in his palm.

"Now let's see, was it the blue button or the red button? Hmmm… Aw, what the heck, I'll use both!" He pointed it at SEGA Sonic, pushed one of the buttons and opened fire.

The beam hit SEGA Sonic, releasing from within him a yelp of pain and surprise. He seemed to be getting smaller and smaller…

Then the beam disappeared and the other Sonics gasped. Where SEGA Sonic once was, there sat an adorable baby blue hedgehog, complete with diaper and pacifier. After a few seconds of sucking his soother, he took it out and began to wail horrendously, causing the remaining Sonics, including Evil Sonic, to cover their ears and screw up their faces in pain.

"Grrrr…" growled Evil Sonic. _"Shut up, brat!"_

SEGA Sonic abruptly stopped crying, startled by the loud noise.

"Good. Now that my hands are free again…" Evil Sonic aimed the gizmo at Sonic X and pushed the other button.

A beam of light later, Sonic X had been aged prematurely, with a grey beard and moustache adorning his wrinkled facial features. Wobbling with uncertainty on a cane, he looked around and stated, "This looks pretty familiar… Didn't I go through something like this here situation sixty-four years ago?"

Evil Sonic was guffawing. "Oh this is just rich! Ha ha ha! (ahem) …Meet the Decrepitizing Ray! ("Must have been a Beautiful Baby") As you can plainly see, it can either rewind or fast-forward time for you!"

Evil Sonic now sat in a seat behind a small cannon that resembled an anti-aircraft gun. He adjusted the angle of the barrel and fired, yelling, "Freeze!"

A sky-blue light hit Anime Sonic and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The shrunken SatAM Sonic and Fleetway Sonic could just gape; Anime Sonic had been frozen solid.

"The Insto-Freeze Cannon's pretty cool, wouldn't you say? ("Too Tall Tails")"

"Well, _your _puns are pretty stupid," retorted Fleetway Sonic.

"Sheesh, how stiff can you get?" asked Evil Sonic as he now swivelled the handle on a grey round contraption with a ray gun attached to the top. He then looked at Fleetway Sonic evilly. "Let's find out!"

The ray gun fired and struck Fleetway Sonic.

SatAM Sonic stared. Fleetway Sonic had been completely transfigured into stone, his features frozen in a look of surprise.

"Last but not least, this is the Stopper Zapper! ("Tails in Charge")"

Evil Sonic looked around at his handiwork; the shrunken SatAM Sonic, the comic-book-trapped Archie Sonic, the unintelligent AoStH Sonic, the obedient SU Sonic, the baby SEGA Sonic, the old Sonic X, the ice-covered Anime Sonic and the petrified Fleetway Sonic.

"What an improvement. (sigh) As much as I like seeing you goodie-two-shoes like this, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to change you all back. After all, it'll be more fun ordering you around and making you do whatever I want when you're robots!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Evil Sonic had used the exact same machines to reverse their own effects (except in the case of the Insto-Freeze Cannon; he defrosted Anime Sonic by using a flamethrower).

"Well, guys, it was fun and all. But now I've got to do what I captured you for in the first place!"

He picked the Robo-Transmogrifier up and gazed at it as if it was the neatest toy he had received for his birthday. "When you're robots, I think I'll have you…beat up your pals. Maybe if I'm lucky, you'll still be aware of everything that's going on around you! The more painful, the better!"

The good Sonics looked at him in rage, at least one part of their bodies clenched in anger. Nobody noticed that the tips of Fleetway Sonic's spines were beginning to glow a yellow colour.

"And after your friends are Robo-Transmogrified too, I'll have you tear them apart, put them back together and tear them apart again!"

Fleetway Sonic's spines were starting to curve upwards.

Evil Sonic aimed the device at the good Sonics. "Say sayonara to your free will, losers!"

With the exception of Fleetway Sonic, whose eyes were becoming red, the other Sonics closed their eyes, now knowing very well that there was no way they could dodge the ray. They waited for the sound of the Robo-Transmogrifer firing.

**Bonk!**

"Oof!"

**Clang!**

**Thump!**

Mystified by the unexpected sounds, they opened their eyes and beheld quite a sight.

Evil Sonic was out cold on the floor, a large bruise on his head courtesy of the grate that was covering him. And standing on top of the grate, was another Sonic who was dressed in yellow, orange, black and white skin-tight clothing.

The eight Sonic Primes gawked in silence for a second before Fleetway Sonic pointed and shouted, "Hey! I know you!"

* * *

"Hmmm…" she mumbled. "So close and yet so far. No matter. He _will _become Super Sonic sooner or later. I'll make sure of that as much as I can." 


	14. Revengeance

Authoress' Note: Hmm, forgot to mention this last chapter… Shin Sonic belongs to Ryu the Weredragon; not me, not Sonic Team, Ryu.

Speaking of which…um… My mother kinda wants to convert this to script format and send it to an animation studio and I don't know what to make of her decision. Help.

Chapter 13: Revengeance

"Hmph," grunted Fleetway Sonic as he and the others ran down the hall. "You know, we _could_ have gotten out of that situation without _your_ help."

Shin Sonic grinned cheekily and purposefully let Evil Sonic, who was being dragged along the ground on a rope, hit a wall. Remarkably, he still stayed unconscious. "Didn't seem like that to me, bud."

"Just who are you? Besides being another Sonic?" demanded Archie Sonic suspiciously. "And how did you get here anyway?"

"The majority of you may not know me but you might know a friend of mine; ever heard of Blade the Wolf?"

The other Sonics's eyes widened in recognition.

"I thought so. As for your second question, these Chao," he pointed to the three tiny creatures hanging on to his clothes, "somehow teleported me to this universe. I don't know why though and I can't understand them so…"

"_Malika!"_

As if on cue, the Chao blurted out something in their language, bringing the surprised Sonics to an abrupt stop.

"What's wrong?"

The Chao flew over to a nearby metallic door and started chewing through it ravenously, sending bits and shards of steel flying everywhere. Within a matter of seconds, they astoundingly created a circular hole in it!

"Whoa," stated SatAM Sonic impressively. "I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of _those_ choppers."

The Chao motioned to the Sonics and fluttered through the makeshift opening. The cerulean hedgehogs followed.

"Wow!"

Directly in front of them was a humongous grey submarine sitting in a large basin of water. The vessel was approximately thirty feet long and the half that was sticking out of the water was about seven and a half feet high.

The nine conscious Sonics and Chao approached it, most of them wary of the water. "What would Robo-Robuttnik want a submarine for?" enquired SU Sonic out loud.

"Don't you remember what Merna said?" asked AoStH Sonic in an annoyed tone. "She told us that the underwater city of Mertopia was being invaded, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

Meanwhile, the Chao were tugging on Shin Sonic's sleeve, attempting to pull him towards the sub.

One of them spoke. To most of them, it sounded like nonsensical babbling but to Archie Sonic's ears, it was perfect English. "Come on!"

Archie Sonic smiled and stooped down to the Chao's level. "Hey, little guy, what's the hurry?"

The Chao looked at him and said, "We need to find it!"

"Find what?"

"Um… You can understand Chao?" said Sonic X in amazement.

"What are you talking about? He's speaking in plain…"

Then Archie Sonic's eyes widened. "Oh! Ah ha ha…"

"What's so funny?" demanded SatAM Sonic.

"I just remembered. I have a tiny machine in my ear – well, actually, it's part of my brain now – that I got from some aliens that enables me to understand any, and I mean, _any, _language. I can even understand my pet dog, Muttski!"

SEGA Sonic whistled in awe. "Now _that_ must come in handy."

"Hey!"

They all turned around. Evil Sonic had finally come to and was evidently not too pleased to find himself tied up.

The vile hedgehog started to shake furiously in an attempt to undo his bonds. "Grrr… When I get loose, I'm gonna use all those weapons on each and every one of you two hundred times!"

"How so, idiot?" asked Anime Sonic sarcastically. "We're not in the same room you held us prisoner anymore. And by the way…"

He grabbed Evil Sonic by his jacket and held up a fist in a threatening gesture. "You're gonna admit right now that what you said earlier about me being a double-crosser was a lie or else!"

"The same goes for me," added Sonic X with a mischievous grin.

"Uh, does somebody care to enlighten me?" queried Shin Sonic confusedly meanwhile.

"Evil Sonic convinced most of us that those two were traitors just because they don't like chili dogs," explained Fleetway Sonic nonchalantly.

Shin Sonic seemed shocked. "'Don't like chili dogs'?" But that is a physical impossibility!"

"Yeah and that's why I still don't trust them," declared SatAM Sonic and Archie Sonic, SEGA Sonic, SU Sonic and AoStH Sonic muttered an agreement.

Fleetway Sonic looked irritated. "I don't see what the big deal is. I like chili dogs too but I like all fast foods as well. I mean, I don't think of them as the food of the gods!"

"He's got a point. And besides," put in Shin Sonic, "who's more likely to tell the truth; an evil version of yourself or another couple of good versions?"

"Hmmm…" murmured SU Sonic, actually using his noggin for once. "I guess you're right."

"_Eeyouch!"_

They all turned in surprise and saw that Anime Sonic and Sonic X had set the Chao on them, who had all bitten his right arm.

"Okay, okay! I was lying! Are you happy?"

"Fair enough," said Sonic X. "You can let go of him now."

The Chao released Evil Sonic's arm and immediately soared to another door and started gnawing it like crazy.

"Now what?" wondered Archie Sonic out loud.

Then, suddenly, the three Chao jumped out of the way of hundreds of pink and orange flowers were pouring through the wrecked door.

The ten Sonics stared for a moment in surprise then Fleetway Sonic walked over to them. "Flowers? What the heck would Robo-Robotnik want plants for?" He bent down to pick a few up.

"Don't touch them!" AoStH Sonic quickly grabbed Fleetway Sonic's hand.

Fleetway Sonic appeared slightly miffed. "What's the big deal? They're just a bunch of colourful flora."

AoStH Sonic gave a short laugh. "They may be pretty but they're also pretty dangerous."

His eyes widened once again then his face twisted into a sneaky grin.

"Be back in a flash!"

He zoomed off and, a few seconds later, came back wearing an orange one-piece suit, the kind you wear in a hazardous environment, with a gas mask attached to the head. He also had a camcorder on a tripod.

"Put these on." AoStH Sonic tossed eight suits identical to his to the other good Sonics.

"Where'd you get them from? And what do we need these for?" asked SatAM Sonic confusedly.

"Trust me. You do not want to touch those," he pointed to the yellowish-orange five-petal flowers, "or inhale the pollen of those," he indicated the heap of pink six-petal flowers. "We're gonna use these to pay Evil Sonic back for all those things he did to us!"

"These won't kill him, right? Because I will _not _resort to that!" said Fleetway Sonic, his voice muffled by the mask.

"Nope, don't worry about that."

He took a pink flower, walked up to Evil Sonic and rubbed it in his nose.

"Achoo!" sneezed Evil Sonic. "Hey! What are you trying to do, make me sneeze to death? Well, it's not working, you dummy!"

AoStH Sonic ignored him as he turned on the camcorder.

"Hey you!" He pointed at Shin Sonic. "Come here!"

"What is it?" queried Shin Sonic as he walked over.

"I want you to keep this camcorder focused on Evil Sonic at all times, okay? Because we're about to give him one gigantic lesson in humiliation." He marched back over to the malevolent hedgehog.

"Let's see…" murmured AoStH Sonic thoughtfully as he untied Evil Sonic. "What should I turn you into?"

"Huh?" Evil Sonic looked completely nonplussed and so did the other Sonics.

"…I know! You are a turkey (both literally and figuratively)!"

For a moment, Evil Sonic was a little taken aback. But then, suddenly, he folded his arms, began to flap them vigorously and started to run around the room in circles, gobbling like mad!

The good Sonics laughed uproariously at this unexpected spectacle, a few collapsing on each other, their legs abruptly too tired to support their chortling forms.

"Okay…" gasped Archie Sonic happily, finally collecting enough breath to talk. "What did you do to him?"

"This flower's pollen," AoStH Sonic held up said plant, "has the power to hypnotize people. All you have to do is tell whoever-inhaled-the-pollen what you want him to be! Which is why we have these gas masks on, of course."

"Let me try!" demanded SEGA Sonic, walking up to Evil Sonic, who was now pecking the floor. "You're a mule!"

At once, Evil Sonic got down on all fours and began bucking, yelling, "Hee haw!" all the while. The good Sonics roared.

"My turn!" stated Fleetway Sonic. "You are now a frog!"

The wicked hedgehog immediately crouched down and commenced hopping about and croaking. A fly buzzed by his face and his tongue snapped out and caught it, withdrawing his prey inside his mouth and swallowing it. At this point, the gallant hedgehogs' stomachs were beginning to hurt from laughing so hard.

And so on it went, each heroic Sonic getting his turn many times over and making Evil Sonic believe he was something else entirely. And not just animals but also inanimate objects and even specific people, from a toaster to a radio and from Tails to one of the three Stooge Bots.

An hour later, AoStH Sonic, his voice hoarse from laughing so much, stated, "Okay, I think that's enough. Besides, the camcorder's probably almost out of juice by now."

While Shin Sonic turned off the camcorder, AoStH Sonic retied Evil Sonic (who was making video game sound effects) and threw him into the water while holding one end of the rope. Almost instantaneously, the evil hedgehog started to splash around in a panic with a very bewildered expression on his face.

"Huh? What the heck happened? How did I get here? Get me out!"

AoStH Sonic took his sweet time in hauling Evil Sonic back out and when he did, he picked up an orange flower. "Alright, everyone, grab one of these and rub Evil Sonic with them!"

The other Sonics complied and rubbed Evil Sonic like crazy, sending particles of pollen everywhere, much to his chagrin.

"Hey, cut it out! I'm warning you!"

"Okay, let's stop," said AoStH Sonic as he and the others stepped back. "That should do the trick."

"Do what? Ack!" Evil Sonic started rolling around on the ground in agony, gloved hands scratching at his sides frantically. "Argh! What's going on? I'm itching all over! Don't tell me I'm allergic to some stupid plant!"

"No, it affects everyone like that," explained AoStH Sonic. "And extremely soon, you'll hardly be able to move as well."

"What's that suppose to mean, will I become paralyzed too?"

"No but it will be very hard… Ah ha!"

Evil Sonic's body had begun to swell up like a balloon, gradually breaking the ropes that bind him but, amazingly, not any article of his clothing. In the space of thirty seconds, he had become thrice as big, with a belly that could put any Robotnik's to shame.

This was too much for the good Sonics. They burst into laughter once more, even harder than before, either rolling around on the floor or thumping it. The Chao merely watched with intrigue.

"Ha ha ha, _now _I recognize (snort) these plants!" guffawed Archie Sonic. "They're called (snicker) Poison Flowers!"

"Yeah," agreed AoStH Sonic, wiping a tear from his eye, "which you can (giggle) see is plainly a misnomer."

"_Aaaarrrgh!" _screamed Evil Sonic."This is torture! I can't even scratch myself anymore!"

"Well, it serves you right for the torture _you _put us through," exclaimed Anime Sonic.

"I'd say we better get on the submarine now," said Shin Sonic. "If the Chao wanted us to come here, maybe they mean for us to save this Mertopia you mentioned."

"Yeah, you're right," concurred Sonic X. "We should get going. We've wasted enough time."

"And you're coming with us, Pixel-Brain!" uttered Fleetway Sonic to the puffed-up Evil Sonic as he walked around him. "Although I doubt you'll be able to fit through the hatch… Oh well. Come on, guys, help me push him. Oh and will somebody grab the camcorder?"


	15. Green and Yellow Hedgehogs

Authoress' Note: Don't…ask…okay…please? …And it figures _it_ occurs after I'm finished writing chapter thirteen. I think I might have forgotten a few promises too… Clue me in, will ya?

Chapter 14: Green and Yellow Hedgehogs 

"Aaaaggghh!" screamed AoStH Robotnik. "Look what that fiend has done to my beautiful statue!"

"I can't tell whether it's an improvement or not," whispered Breezie to Roxie and they both giggled.

AoStH Sonic's friends, Sergeant Doberman's army, the robots of Scrap Valley, AoStH Robotnik and his henchbots were surveying the landscape around what used to be AoStH Robotnik's fortress. Earlier, Tails had told everyone about the Sonics being captured right away and they had immediately rallied (with the exception being, of course, AoStH Robotnik and his servants, at first) to rescue the blue heroes.

The landscape surrounding the hill which AoStH Robotnik's stronghold sat on had been transformed into a sea of smoke-spewing factories. Standing beside AoStH Robotnik's old citadel was a gigantic statue of the owner yelling and pumping his fist defiantly towards the sky, apparently made out of gold. But it had undergone some small renovations.

Goggles had been carved into the monument's head and the body, particularly the limbs, had been trimmed down just a little. The outcome was that it more closely bore a resemblance to Robo-Robotnik rather than AoStH Robotnik now.

"It's horrendous, it's dreadful, it's appalling, it's terrible! But most of all… It's absolutely perfect!" The other rescuers looked at him with bewildered expressions while he smiled and wiped a tear from his eye. "I've always thought that no work of art could rival my self-portrait yet now I can see that I, for once, was mistaken!" He took out a handkerchief and blew his bulbous red nose on it loudly.

These comments made the others moan, groan, sigh in exasperation, roll their eyes and/or slap their foreheads.

Sally was among those who rolled their eyes. She turned to the other girls and said "It's times like this that make me wonder who's more egotistic: him or Sonic?" The females all laughed.

* * *

_"See? _She just insulted him! Sonic doesn't deserve that!"

"She was only making a tease, you idiot. Not that you'd recognize it."

"Oh shut up! You think you're so smart…!"

"That's because we are."

"Alright, that's it!"

And, thus, another free-for-all in a certain black-and-white dimension commenced.

Flynn smiled sadly as he heard it all from inside Irene's TV room and twirled a finger near the side of his head. "Look at them. They could be showing signs of lesbianism and their fans would _still_ think they secretly loathe each other as much as they abhor other pairings' fans."

Mavis, upon hearing that, turned her head in bafflement towards Flynn then proceeded to write something down on her chalkboard. When she was done, she held it up to him. It said, 'Lesbianism? What do you mean?'

"(sigh) I mean, the girls would be in love with each other and their fans would be completely oblivious," replied Flynn.

Mavis, appearing even more puzzled and also slightly annoyed, wrote something else. 'What does being a Lesbian have to do with being in homosexual love?'

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "Uh, dudette… That's the definition of 'lesbian;' a girl loving another girl."

Now Mavis looked angry. 'Are you saying that all Lesbians only love someone who's the same gender as them!'

"Um, yeah. That's basically it."

Flynn barely had time to dodge Mavis' fist as it flew past his face by an inch. He started to either block or evade her attacks and, all the while, yelling, "Hey, cut it out! It's true! Stop it! Help!" All Tiffany and Lance could do was to stare at this escapade. Irene, on the other hand…

_"Quiet!"_ Her shout was instantaneously followed by two whacks on her ebony stick on Flynn and Iris' heads. Looking quite irritated, Irene took a deep breath and muttered, "Now both of you, one at a time… Explain what the term 'lesbian' means to you. Flynn, you first."

"A lesbian is a female that is in love with another female."

Mavis clenched her fists and teeth tightly in rage but calmed down enough to write this: 'A Lesbian is an inhabitant of Lesbos Island.'

_"…say what?" _

"Rendered famous by Queen Elizabeth II getting assassinated there in 1989 in your world if I'm not mistaken," put in Irene.

Flynn's peepers widened even more. "Whoa… Her Royal Majesty herself was murdered in… Wait a minute… You mean I and several others in my world have been using a term referring to a race of humans as a synonym for a homosexual girl!"

'Yes. You didn't know that?' Mavis looked puzzled.

"Heck, no! Queen Elizabeth II's not dead in my universe so possibly hardly anybody has ever heard of this island!"

'Oh. When you said all Lesbians are homosexual, I thought you were making a racist remark. I don't have any problems with gayness; it's just that, to me, calling all queer girls Lesbians is like calling all great basketball players African-Americans. It's downright stereotypical.'

"I've heard tell, however, that using the word, 'lesbian,' in that manner is slightly justified," put in Irene. "An ancient Lesbian woman named Sappho wrote love poems that were addressed to women as well as men. As a result, Lesbos is also a popular tourist attraction for figurative lesbians in the dimensions Queen Elizabeth II wasn't assassinated there. And the correct terminology for the residents of that island in those worlds would be 'Lesvonians'."

'…oh.'

"Um…" murmured a Chao in its language with three conical horns on its head, tugging on Lance's pant leg earnestly. "How does time differ in your different worlds again? I can't understand how your worlds have some events in common but not others."

Lance smiled in understanding and picked the Chao up. "Well, Bailey, it's like this: up until the year 1989 in our universes, our timelines are absolutely identical. However, in that year, the process to 'create' a hero in one of many forms of media begins. Two years later, of course, Sonic the Hedgehog is born, whether in a manga, a play or a movie."

"And after that," added Tiffany, "the differences begin to escalate! World War III, revolutions, hot movie stars, etc. set our dimensions apart further and further with each second that passes. So if, say, Shakespeare or Hitler weren't born in our worlds then we would have never heard of Sonic the Hedgehog at all whatsoever! Understand, Bailey?"

"Um… yes (What exactly did they say?)."

* * *

"When the effects wear off, you are all gonna wish you never even heard of me!"

"Oh shut up," uttered Anime Sonic in an annoyed tone. "Besides, you better hope you _stay_ that way until we get there; otherwise we'll all drown."

"Look on the bright side, you jerk," spoke SU Sonic. "We could have pulled you in feet-first instead of head-first."

Evil Sonic, due to his roundness, had been unable to fit through the hatch, no matter how hard the other Sonics pulled on him. Instead of waiting three to four hours for the effects of the Poison Flowers to wear off, the good Sonics had decided to shove off, leaving Evil Sonic stuck in the opening like an oversize, blue, spiky, leather-clad plug. To make matters worse for him, in addition to his over-inflated arms being too heavy to lift up to give himself a scratch now, the salt water was making his lower half even itchier.

"It's probably good for you," quipped Archie Sonic when he complained about it. "Have you smelled yourself lately?"

Evil Sonic growled and started calling them a wide variety of insults but stopped when he noticed something: a slightly green Sonic X.

And that gave him an idea.

Grinning slyly, he began to talk. "Do you know what I like about the sea? The food."

All the good hedgehogs turned around from the controls and looked at him weirdly.

"Like calamari for instance. I prefer to bite off a piece of an eyeball then squeeze out all the jelly first!"

The other Sonics looked at Evil Sonic with mild disgust and some of them looked at the controls again except Sonic X, who now seemed to be panting with half-lidded eyes.

"Then there are clams. I love cutting a hole in their bodies and sucking out the innards. Yummy!"

"If you're trying to make us sick then it's not working!" retorted AoStH Sonic who, along with the others, failed to notice that Sonic X was, at this point, covering his mouth which was now vaguely puffed up like Evil Sonic's body.

"And lobsters, hm-hmm! Nothing like cutting them open and trying figure out which organs first so I can eat the brain and heart firyyyyaaaagghhh!"

Every heroic hedgehog except Sonic X, who still managed a weak smile, erupted in hearty laughter. Fleetway Sonic had, at the very last moment, noticed Sonic X's predicament and had lifted him up and quickly brought him over to Evil Sonic. This, of course, resulted in Sonic X making an offering to the porcelain gods all over Evil Sonic, much to his satisfaction and Evil Sonic's fright and revulsion.

_"Get this all off of me!"_ screamed Evil Sonic, his voice faintly muffled by the sick on his face.

"No way, José!" ejaculated Sonic X. "Besides, it's your own fault. If you'd kept _your_ mouth shut, I would have been able to keep _my _mouth shut too!"

More sniggers followed.

"Too bad that Sonic that saved our hides couldn't come with us and see this," mentioned SEGA Sonic. "Those Chao sure were eager to get him to…"

**Slam!**

The force of the impact sent the good Sonics tumbling to the floor in a heap. Being the first to get back up, Archie Sonic ran over to a porthole, peered out and slightly paled. "Uh-oh… I think we're in trouble!"

The other Sonics crowded around and gulped. An entire armada of robotic fish and merhogs had surrounded the submarine.

At an unseen signal, they all charged at the sub's hull again, denting it severely and throwing the heroic hedgehogs around yet, thankfully, not puncturing it.

"Ow…" moaned SatAM Sonic as he rose from the floor, rubbing his head gingerly. "How are we going to fight them off?"

AoStH Sonic ran to the front of the submarine. "By using the weapons system on this submerged tub, how else?"

"And what if we destroy them, huh? It looks like at least half of them could be victims of the Robo-Transmogrifier!"

"Oh…yeah," replied AoStH Sonic slowly as he stopped, a frown on his face. "I guess you're right. Then there's only one thing we can do then."

"What's that?" asked the others.

"Beat feet, er, fins, er, rudder to Mertopia as fast as this ship can go!"

Fleetway Sonic looked indignant. "Are you saying we should just swim away with our tails between our legs?"

"Well if you've got any better ideas, I'd like…"

"Wait a minute, they're going away!"

"Huh?" All the Sonics looked through the portholes and saw that, indeed, the whole school was taking off. Within minutes, the Sonics had lost sight of them completely.

"Where are they going?"

"Hey… You don't think they're retreating, do you?"

"Ack!"

The loud exclamation from Evil Sonic made the others turn around to see what the matter was…and their eyes all widened in fright. The villainous Sonic was being slowly pulled out of the hatch's opening, water starting to leak in.

"There's something wrapped around my legs!" yelled Evil Sonic as the heroic hedgehogs immediately ran over and began tugging on his arms.

"You better not let go!" shouted Evil Sonic in a panicky voice. "Or we'll all go down with the sub!"

"Sheesh and I thought Tails spoke the glaringly obvious," mumbled Fleetway Sonic.

* * *

Elsewhere, a certain person cloaked in purple was hunched over a pool of water about the size and shape of a plate in a dark room. "Come on…come on…make this, let this work. This _must_ work…"

Another scream of rage erupted in her head. "I want out…out…out…_out!"_

"You must have patience," she said calmly, her voice a stark contrast to the one she, and only she, could plainly hear. "Just a little longer."

"I can't wait… _Destroy!" _She heard his egg begin to shake vigorously, its captive in hopes of causing it to break.

"Stop that. You know that won't work."

The shaking transformed into quivering. "Chaos Energy… I need Chaos Energy!"

"I know… Just wait some more, okay?"

She returned to her work at hand and commenced chanting. A ripple broke the otherwise perfectly smooth surface of the liquid.

* * *

"This…is…not…cool!" said SatAM Sonic in a strained voice as he and the others continued to pull on Evil Sonic's arms in a losing battle to keep themselves alive.

"I think…" grunted SEGA Sonic through his teeth, "…my energy is running out." Suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Energy…? Wait a minute, that's it! Why didn't I think of it before?" He roughly grabbed SU Sonic's medallion.

"Hey, hands off!" stated SU Sonic crossly.

"With this medallion, I can use Chaos Control and get us out of here! Everybody, hold hands!"

"'Chaos Control'?" repeated Anime Sonic quizzically as they hastily obeyed SEGA Sonic's command. "What's that?"

"It's a move you use with Chaos Energy to teleport yourself and those touching you from one place to another," explained Sonic X.

Fleetway Sonic's eyes widened in absolute horror. _"'Chaos Energy'?_ No, wait, stop, don't…!"

"Chaos Control!" yelled SEGA Sonic and they all disappeared in a blue flash of light, moments before the water engulfed the spot they had previously been standing.

* * *

Miles away, Sergeant Doberman inhaled deeply and contentedly. "Ah… I love the smell of a freshly fired cannon in the afternoon! I've been away from the battlefield for far too long!"

His walkie-talkie beeped and the huge dog picked it up. "Sergeant Doberman, you can't fire now!" protested Sally's voice. "You could've hurt us…or a robo-transmogrified victim!"

The princess almost heard the sergeant salute as she and her squad huddled inside the alley between the smoggy factories. "Uh, right, your highness! I shall hereby refrain from doing so until you and all the civilians who've been turned into robots are safely out of the enemy's territory!"

"I hope none of the Sonics are robots now," sighed Tails worriedly as Sally switched off her walkie-talkie. "I don't think I'd be able to fight them or…or…or…" Tears started to brim in his eyes.

"There now, Tails, I'm sure they're alright," consoled Roxie sincerely, pulling the fox into a hug.

"Yeah, you know how they are," stated Robotnik Junior with a grin. "They're probably pulling themselves out of a major jam right now!"

With the physics of the AoStH world as they were, something was bound to naturally happen because he had said that. And sure enough, a blue light flashed into existence before the would-be rescuers' eyes, temporarily blinding them.

When the brightness had died down, they uncovered their eyes…and beheld all the Sonics lying prone on the ground.

For a moment, nobody moved. Then, as one, the hedgehogs stood up and looked around.

"Phew… We made it," murmured SEGA Sonic as he saw they were safely on dry land.

"That was close," muttered Anime Sonic.

"Alright, I'm cured!" stated Evil Sonic in glee, checking his body over.

The troop finally snapped out of their shock and ran towards the Sonics, joy written all over their faces.

…Until twin beams of yellow light smote the ground just in front of them, sending them flying.

"What was that!" bellowed SatAM Sonic in surprise as he watched Sally, Tails and the others pick themselves off the ground.

"Bwa ha ha ha ha ha! Why don't you look up and see, losers?"

Eyes widening in recognition, nearly everybody in the vicinity slowly turned their gaze sky and gasped in shocked horror.

Fleetway Sonic was floating above them yet his appearance was drastically altered. His sapphire fur was now glowing an intense yellow colour and some of his spikes pointed upward. The green pupils of his eyes had been replaced with red swirls spiraling into the white depths. His mouth was drawn up in a spiteful grin and the tips of sharp teeth could be seen sticking out of his mouth.

"Hey, how did you turn into Super Sonic without any Chaos Emeralds?" queried Sonic X with a mixture of awe and astonishment.

"'Chaos Emeralds?' Since when did I need Chaos Emeralds to become superior to everyone around me? All I need is an adequate dosage of Chaos Energy or a bit of stress and, poof, here I am, ready to end your miserable lives!" He flew down to their level and sucker-punched Evil Sonic, sending him reeling into and collapsing onto the other Sonics.

"Hey! What are you doing?" demanded SU Sonic as he pushed Evil Sonic's foot out of his mouth.

"What does it look like I'm doing, dimwit?" Fleetway Super Sonic now levitated a foot off the ground. "There can only be one of me, even if the other 'me's are just weaklings in comparison. So I'll fix that problem right now by simply killing you all!"

With that said, he charged.


	16. Melee

Authoress' Note: You guys are in for a humongous treat this chapter…and Fleetway Super Sonic's only a part of it! Yeehaw!

And on a more sombre note… I think need help in getting back on track with my writing. I wanna be able to publish at least once every two weeks again instead of every month.

Any suggestions…please?

Chapter 15: Melee

Slamming the door of the fortress behind him, Evil Sonic leaned against it, both from panting too hard and in a futile attempt to keep the thing that was chasing him out. Robo-Robotnik looked up from where he had been going over some blueprints in irritation. "What is it?"

"(pant, pant) …Th-thing! Yellow! Red eyes! Psychotic! Help!" Due to his shortness of breath and fear, the malicious hedgehog could only form fragments of sentences.

The foreign mad scientist's eyebrow furrowed. What could possibly scare him so much that he'd say the one four-letter, 'h'-word his pride would never allow him to utter?

**Kablam!**

As if to answer his unspoken question (and, knowing this universe, it probably did), the door was unexpectedly blasted right off its hinges, making Evil Sonic yelp in surprise as he was carried along by the concrete object's weight and ended up being crushed into a pancake underneath it a few feet away.

"Ah-ha! There you are, Ivo!"

As Evil Sonic struggled to re-inflate himself and lift what used to be the door off his back, the dust around the entryway settled, revealing a smiling Fleetway Super Sonic, much to the Eggman's shock.

"What a tough decision… I don't know whether to kill you or wreck what you built while you watch first!"

He looked to his right and Ivo saw his eyes widen then his become bigger. "But first, a bit of remodelling!"

He flew off and, one second later, they heard something that sounded like a cross between a whirlwind and a buzz saw coming from just outside the fortress.

Only when the buzzing ceased did Robo-Robotnik gather the nerve to creep to the doorway. When he peered out and to the left, his jaw literally dropped straight to the ground.

* * *

"Nnnoooooo!"

AoStH Robotnik's horrified cry was heard by all who were not deaf within a ten-mile radius of his position. The golden hedgehog had spun around his statue, effectively re-sculpting it into a fine likeness of his blue form, complete with a thumbs-up.

"Don't just stand there!" AoStH Robotnik turned to and shouted angrily at Metal Sonic, Metal Knuckles and Tails Doll. "Get him!"

"We'd be keen to do that, doctor," replied Metal Sonic, "but I perceive that the likelihood of us emerging the victors, let alone unscathed, is approximately one in an octillion…"

"Aaaahhhhh!"

Metal Sonic started, his eyes widening and he flew off. "Oh no! I'm arriving, Breezie!"

Metal Knuckles groaned loudly in frustration while he looked to the skies as if imploring for help and took off after the lovesick robot to prevent him from being dismantled.

"You let go of me right now or else!" cried Breezie in a miffed tone as Fleetway Super Sonic lifted her up by the collar of her dress.

"Yeah, you big bully!" added Robotnik Junior as he heatedly shook a fist at him, helpless to do anything else. "Put her down!"

"'Put her down?'" mimicked the shining Sonic malevolently as he noticed the rapidly approaching Metal Sonic. "If you say so!"

With that, he hovered down to the android's level, spun around and threw Breezie forcibly into him, sending them both crashing into Metal Sonic then Metal Knuckles then Tails Doll and, finally, AoStH Robotnik himself, with all of them ending up in a heap.

Despite this, Robotnik Junior picked himself up, holding Breezie in his arms, exclaiming, "Hey! We're okay!"

"Which is more than I can say for these four bozos," put in the aqua-coloured hedgehog as she looked down with an almost bored expression at the three dazed robots and struggling human under their combined weight.

Coconuts, Scratch and Grounder, who had been cowering behind an embankment, couldn't help but be impressed… Particularly due to the fact that they didn't like their ex-master and their replacements. They promptly each held up signs that displayed the numbers 'ten,' 'eight point seven' and 'point six' (the last one was being held upside down).

"Yo, Stupid Sonic!" yelled SatAM Sonic cheekily, succeeding in capturing Fleetway Super Sonic's attention and startling the other good Sonics with his bravado. "I'll bet you can't catch me!"

Fleetway Super Sonic sneered. "Are you betting your life by any chance? 'Cause that's what you're about to lose!"

He shot downward, hit SatAM Sonic with the force of a bullet train and proceeded to pummel him into the ground with his fists, each blow harder than the last.

But he had barely hit him six times when there was a sudden illumination and everyone, including Fleetway Super Sonic, found themselves blown three meters away from SatAM Sonic. When the light had died down just enough for them to see what was going on, they uncovered their eyes…and beheld a stunningly miraculous sight.

There, hovering where SatAM Sonic was, was another Super Sonic, yet different from the other one; a genuine smile was on his face and his eyes had visible red irises.

His grin becoming wider at the sight of Fleetway Super Sonic's face, he merely spoke one thing.

"Gotcha."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, fans of all ages, turn on your video recorders, get out the popcorn and place all of your bets on who you'll think will come out the winner 'cause this is one brawl you'll probably never ever see again!"

As one, the Omochao started to act like commentators and the fans did exactly what they suggested with some interspersed cheering and whooping.

"Okay, can somebody explain to me just what happened that made SatAM Sonic able to transform into Super Sonic when he's stressed?" enquired Tiffany to no-one in particular out loud.

"Easy," said Irene, her face buried in a novel. "Do you remember when SatAM Sonic and Sally used the Deep Power Stones to destroy Doomsday ('Doomsday')?"

"Yeah."

"An unforeseen effect was that, afterwards, every time Sonic becomes stressed, critically injured or exposed to huge amounts of Chaos Energy, he transforms into Super Sonic. Luckily for the Freedom Fighters (and possibly Ixis Naugus), however, he is not at all evil."

"Ohhhh," articulated Tiffany in comprehension. A moment later, her eyes enlarged; a thought had occurred to her. "Hey, wait a second, does that mean S…?"

"Are they capable of killing?" interrupted Lance. "This _is _the Sonicverse of Jocularity after all."

"It's hard but it's not impossible," affirmed Flynn. "Many times, JocuSonic and his pals are threatened with death. And a few robots have been permanently destroyed before, like the Music Destroyer ('Sonic's Song')."

'We'll just have to wait and see,' wrote Mavis.

* * *

Fleetway Super Sonic was livid. How dare one of those weaklings make himself resemble him even more so!

"Why you…! That's it! I'm really gonna make you suffer!" He punched SatAM Super Sonic but all that did was force him away a few feet.

SatAM Super Sonic did nothing but smirk. "You'll have to do much better than that. Now bring it on!"

"You've got it, twit!"

Without delay, they were at each others' throats. And they were moving so fast, it was pointless for the others to try and see what they were doing exactly. From one point to another, they zoomed about exchanging and dodging blows and, at the same time, inadvertently decimating the new factories and warehouses, much to Robo-Robotnik's chagrin, of course.

"Aaargh! Those rodents are ruining everything!" yelled Robo-Robotnik in frustration with his fists balled up as he stood in the doorway, surveying the destruction. "At this rate, they'll come after us when they're done in two minutes!"

"All is not lost, father," stated Mecha calmly, looking over his shoulder. "We can simply move on to another parallel universe and take the newly Roboticized Mobians and most of the other robots with us."

"What!" shouted Robo-Robotnik in confused annoyance.

"Let me explain, father; our increased numbers will make it easier to conquer the next one while we leave some troops behind to hold ground. By the time we're done with the other dimensions, our forces shall have enough strength to overpower this world's Freedom Fighters."

"Hmmm…" murmured Robo-Robotnik, placing his non-existent chin in the palm of one of his hands. "…You're right, M. We shall make preparations at once to depart!"

He marched back inside and barked, "ADAM! Power up the teleportation devices! We're leaving for _this _world…!"

* * *

Meanwhile, as you probably might have guessed, Fleetway Super Sonic and SatAM Super Sonic were still combating, neither gaining nor losing ground to the other. After a while, they both ended up on the ground, pushing against each others' hands with their own.

"Is this the best you can do, tall, bright and handsome?" joked SatAM Super Sonic cockily.

"No. _This_ is, you soft-hearted, namby-pamby, good-for-nothing!" Fleetway Super Sonic retaliated.

He instantly threw a sucker punch at his rival which sent SatAM Super Sonic crashing headlong into the wall of an adjacent warehouse.

SatAM Super Sonic's head emerged from the rubble inside the warehouse…and saw Sally and Professors Von Schlemmer and Caninestein staring at him, armed with weapons that resembled the Robo-Transmogrifiers, yet were white instead of grey. And standing beside them were a group of confused Mobians, all wondering how they had gotten there.

Before he could ask them what they were doing (although he had a pretty good idea), Fleetway Super Sonic came barrelling through the new gap…and spotted the Mobians.

"Oh ho! More victims!" he stated gleefully and zoomed toward them.

"Oh no, you don't!"

SatAM Super Sonic slammed into the demented being with all his might, forcing the both of them away from the panicky Mobians and into the shaft of a descending stairwell.

They actually rolled down the stairs for a couple of seconds until they managed to hover upright again. Fleetway Super Sonic subsequently kicked SatAM Super Sonic down the stairs and out of sight.

"Ha ha ha! This is fun!" he cackled.

He followed him to the bottom but saw that he was nowhere in sight in the spacious room.

"Alright, you coward," growled Fleetway Super Sonic in frustration. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"Hey, you. Look up."

He did so and was immediately hit by a spinning SatAM Super Sonic. They both crashed downwards through six floors before the evil hedgehog managed to shove the good hedgehog off of him.

"That's it! I'm gonna tear you apart once and for all!"

"I don't wanna hurt you too badly, bud, but I guess I have no choice."

And so the two hedgehogs continued to fight…completely unaware of a third person in the gymnasium-sized room, lurking in the shadows.

* * *

A certain individual clothed in purple regarded them. She picked up what appeared to be two Power Rings the size of hula hoops, both connected to ropes of energy that went through a hole in the wall, and gracefully tossed them towards the duelling Super hedgehogs. "I apologize most sincerely should this hurt you, Sonics," she said. 


	17. Fury

Chapter 16: Fury

SatAM Super Sonic and Fleetway Super Sonic had only a few seconds to register the fact that two gigantic golden rings had been flipped onto their bodies and squeezed around them before pain equivalent to that of receiving an electric shock coursed through their bodies.

A "Gah!" escaped the Super Sonics' lips but only for a moment; they refused to acknowledge to each other that they were in pain as they struggled to free themselves from the constricting objects.

Through the haze of pain, both hedgehogs managed to look down and laid their eyes on a peculiar figure: a female person that was most definitely a human; they could see white skin but no fur. She was clothed in a long-sleeved shirt and pair of pants, both of which were purple, loose-fitting and separated by a large sky blue satin ribbon wrapped around her waist. A pair of brown boots made of cloth adorned her feet while a hat that vaguely resembled a tuque with a violet, wrinkled top and sky blue rim sat atop her head, completely obscuring her hair from sight.

Weirdly enough, she was faintly hunched over and had her hands firmly clasped over her ears. The sky blue cloth that was covering her mouth was moving slightly but rapidly and her eyes were squeezed shut.

Six more excruciating seconds passed and the rings and the chains of energy suddenly disintegrated. The now azure hedgehogs dropped to the floor in a heap.

Seconds later, the other noble Sonics came.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" asked Sonic X concernedly as he bent over them.

"Yeah…" mumbled Fleetway Sonic while he and SatAM Sonic stood up. "But did I hurt anyone?"

"Nah…" AoStH Sonic casually said then he grinned. "…except for my world's Robuttnik and the three copybots. …Wait a sec, you don't remember?"

"No… I can never recall what I did as Super Sonic. We're practically two different people."

"But I can. Hey, you!" SatAM Sonic pointed dramatically at the person who had just caused him and Fleetway Sonic so much pain. "What was the big idea?"

"This was," she answered quietly and punched a large claret button on the wall behind her.

Disintegrating before their very eyes, the wall uncovered behind it a humongous black egg the size of an eight-story building that was shaking tremendously.

The Sonics simply did nothing but stare at the gigantic object with gaping mouths. "Sheesh, just when you think Eggman can't get any more obsessed with eggs…" muttered SEGA Sonic out loud.

"I'm afraid," interrupted the young woman who was leaning against the wall, making the hedgehogs temporarily look at her, "that that is not the case."

A sharp crack brought back their attention to the ovular item and they immediately saw that deep fissures were beginning to spread across the surface, several red glows shining from them.

"Now why am I getting a very bad feeling about this?" said SU Sonic sarcastically.

At almost that exact millisecond, the crimson light grew more intense and the room became quite a bit hotter.

**Boom!**

With a bang to make the ground shake, the shell exploded outward into a trillion pieces, raining the Sonics with fine dust. The hedgehogs closed and covered their eyes to avoid getting blinded by the ever brighter ruby luminosity that flashed but for a few seconds then faded away to a dull glow.

Figuring it was safe to do so, the insectivores opened their eyelids and lowered their hands – and met with an incredible sight.

Standing where the egg was, was a colossal red bird with orange vertical highlights on its abdomen. Atop its head could be seen a crest of six maroon feathers arranged in two rows of three, the tips coming down to the top of its folded wings, the tips of them in turn reaching the base of five tail feathers. The beak was gold and shaped like a starling's long bill, though its feet were accipitrine – like a predatory bird's. But it was the softly glowing, yellow eyes with no visible pupils that were spine-chilling; especially since they gave the impression that it was forever glaring.

-------------------

"Wwooowwwww."

"Ooooohh."

"Coo-hoo-hoo-hool!"

Nearly every Sonic Fan who was witnessing the events was struck by awe at the appearance of such a beautiful creature and, thus, could not help but articulate on the bird's splendour.

All Chao however were, much to the humans' ignorance, staring in stark shock at the being on the screens, eyes wide and jaws nearly touching the floor. They stayed like that for a few minutes then huddled together in little groups, whispering something fervently.

----------------------

"I take it that's the reason, then: that huge cardinal."

The three Chao nodded vigorously at Shin Sonic.

"Okay then. Here we go!" He grabbed a nearby cable, disconnected it and leapt off the girder, swinging in an arc towards his target.

----------------------

His partner neatly somersaulted onto his back but the bird hardly noticed; he was free at last!

He gazed downward and saw the eight similar hedgehogs staring at him; he glared right back. Then, as one, they spun and tried to ram into him.

Pitiful weaklings, he thought. He threw his head back then forward just as quickly, releasing a stream of fire from his beak which enveloped the hedgehogs.

They instantaneously dropped to the ground on their feet, their spines ablaze. Panicking, they each tried various methods to put out the fire.

He felt another weight join the one already present on his back.

Peering around, he saw his associate staring at another blue hedgehog, who was accompanied by…by…by… (here, his glare intensified)…three hateful, worldly _Heralds._

He quickly tilted his head back and subsequently snapped it forward, releasing a searing blast of fire once again. His colleague ducked (not that it would have harmed her) while the azure hedgehog and the Heralds, not prepared for that attack, were blasted backwards right through the wall!

His fire breath instantaneously ceased. He hoped the Heralds had gotten incinerated. He didn't care whether or not the cobalt hedgehog was dead; he was just collateral damage after all.

Looking upward, he saw the ceiling a few meters away from his head. Above that by several floors, he knew, was the sky. He folded his wings tightly against his body, bent his legs and launched himself skyward, spinning and smashing through the multiple ceilings like an immense, red drill until he crashed through the roof and could see the clouds and the sun.

As he stopped spinning, a fairly familiar voice from the other end of the field of wrecked factories and warehouses (thanks to his superb hearing) prompted him to turn his superior eyesight in that direction. There, he could see two robots, a puppet and…

_...him._

_-------------------------_

Everybody gasped as the bird let out a screech, this time of anger, and suddenly burst into flames. Nevertheless, the redness of the fire could not compare with its eyes, which were now a deep blood red.

It looked at AoStH Robotnik again and, with a mighty flapping of its wings, took off after him.

-----------------------

The minute that _thing_ looked at him, AoStH Robotnik knew he was in ever so much trouble.

"Oh no… You three," he said to Metal Sonic, Metal Knuckles and Tails Doll "divert that bird's attention!" He made a break for it.

Without hesitation, the three automatons took to the air, ready to defend their master. Yet they were no match for the bird, who simply swiped at them with a talon, instantly reducing them to a pile of nuts, bolts and (in Tails Doll's case) cotton.

AoStH Robotnik kept on running (which was, for him, a considerable feat) 'til that thing flew in front of him. It backed up then proceeded to dive-bomb AoStH Robotnik.

Paralyzed with fear at this point, AoStH Robotnik gulped and closed his eyes. It seemed this was the end for him. And he didn't even get to take back his fortress or defeat that meddling hedgehog!

A sound like a squeal of braking tires prompted him to reopen his eyes…which were met with a frightful sight.

The bird was crouching over him, its beak so close, he could feel its very hot breath. The flames surrounding its body had died down somewhat and there was a look of confusion in its orange eyes. If AoStH Robotnik could summon the courage to look down, he would have seen the deep, short grooves in the dirt right behind the bird's feet.

Finally, the fiery monster looked over its shoulder and screeched something in a low voice. The AoStH Eggman, being petrified with terror, saw a human wrapped in loose purple clothing crawled up into the doctor's line of sight. She whispered something indiscernible to the bird.

A shriek tore itself free from the bird's throat as the flames were fanned into an inferno once more. Amazingly enough, the human on its back seemed completely unfazed and unharmed by the fire whereas AoStH Robotnik was sweating so hard from the heat and the fear, he thought he was melting.

The bird beat its vast wings and rose into the sky again, turning its head this way and that. It then flew off.

-----------------------

The wrong one… He had nearly gotten the wrong one! That would have given the one he was truly after plenty of time to realize what was going on and escape!

"Why didn't you tell me I was trying to kill the wrong one earlier!" he demanded of his passenger. To her, it was plain English but to everyone else, it was the unintelligible shriek of a bird.

"I presumed you meant to do that – murder the other Robotnik with knowledge of the fact that's he's not the one you're after – on purpose. I figured you desired to slay any Eggman of any dimension. Forgive me."

"Hmph." The truth was he _did _want to slaughter any Robotnik he came across; he just didn't have time as the particular individual he hunted could escape from whatever world he was in whereas all the others couldn't.

One thing was for sure… He was gonna rip _him _to pieces then cremate those same fragments.

Wait, there _he _was now! In the doorway of that building on the hill! He made a beeline for it.

The mad scientist retreated inside and slammed the door. Ha! As if that would deter him!

He descended upon the fortress and commenced tearing it apart, searching for _him. _After a minute, he at last found _him _cowering on the floor and covered with bits of plaster. Yes! He lowered his beak, intending to chew up but not swallow the doctor violently.

His prey disappeared in a flash of light as soon as the beak was touching _his_ head.

Quite puzzled, he looked around feverishly. Where did _he _go? …No, _he _couldn't have escaped, not when he was so close…!

He felt his partner lean close to where his ear would be. "I believe he's gone to another universe."

Three seconds passed.

Then an enraged, even louder than before, screech escaped his throat. He began breathing fire all over the place haphazardly in fury. Stupid, he was just so _stupid! _If only he had realized that that Robotnik from this world had not been the one he sought to kill sooner, he'd be screeching with triumph instead of defeat!

Once again, he felt his cohort whisper into his ear, still so calm, it irritated him to no end. "Don't fret. It's obvious the miniature teleportation devices attached to him, his robotic army, his cohorts and ourselves are activating; he was simply the first to go. The ones I affixed to us should get triggered too shortly. Then you can attempt retribution once more in whichever world he escaped to."

He regained a little of what composure he had left. Yes…yes, he would get him! As the same brilliant light that enveloped Robotnik appeared, surrounding both him and the female human, he swore once more that, sooner or later, one way or another, that fiend would scream and squirm as _he_ felt his claws dig into _his_ obese body.

------------------------

With the disappearance of the giant bird, the residents of the Neutral Zone were just beginning to eagerly discuss what exactly what it was when the speaker system came on.

"Gentlemen…" said Victoria Hollingsworth's eerily calm voice. "Did you see what was on that creature's back?"

"Um…" some other voices muttered nervously over the speaker system. Evidently, she was talking to some squadron in her office and she was letting other people listen on purpose. "A human?"

"That's right. A human. And do you know what that means?"

"Uh… That there's the possibility that that girl is one of us?"

Several gasps were heard throughout the entire Zone…even though something like this was not unheard of.

"That's right." Then Victoria's tone of voice went back to normal. **_"Find out just who was absent around the time this happened and look for any teleportation devices that are not certified! I want you to search every nook and cranny and every crook and nanny! Got that?"_**

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" Multiple footfalls resonated and faded.

In Irene's apartment, Flynn gaped. "'Every crook and nanny?' That has to be the greatest pun I've ever heard."

---------------------------

"So long, everyone!" yelled SU Sonic as he waved. "We'd love to stay and chat but we've gotta motor!"

Numerous accolades and goodbyes greeted the Sonics' ears. Behind them, an orange portal that awaited the hedgehogs swirled and crackled with energy.

Earlier, an Omochao had dropped by with the news that Robo-Robotnik was now in Anime Sonic's world and made the interdimensional vortex appear for them to travel there. Everybody was curious about the bird but they had more pressing matters to think about.

"Wish us luck, guys!" hollered AoStH Sonic.

"Oh I'll wish you luck, alright," grumbled Metal Sonic sarcastically. "Bad luck, that is!"

"Hey, Metal, look!" shouted Anime Sonic, pointing behind him. "It's, er, what's-her-name, Windy!"

"It's 'Breezie,' you uninformed dullard! And where?" Metal Sonic spun around, looking around with glee.

**Slap!**

"Gotcha! Ha ha ha!"

Anime Sonic had slapped Metal Sonic hard, making him stagger. The organic Sonics howled.

"Ah ha ha… Ah man!" laughed SEGA Sonic, holding his gut and wiping a tear out of his eye. "You're even more gullible than Knuckles!"

"_What did you say!"_

"…Oops. Heh heh. Hi, Knuckles. I didn't see you there. Wait, I said a compliment! I said that he's tricked more often than… Oh, would you look at the time, we've gotta go!" He and the other hedgehogs ran for the gateway.

"Come back here!" bellowed both Metal Sonic and Knuckles crossly as they gave chase.

But the last Sonic got through and the entrance closed just in time, much to the two's frustration.


	18. Siblings, Incidents and Mysteries

Chapter 17: Siblings, Incidents and Mysteries

"The problem with you, my sister, is that you always assume that every human that shows up in any of the Sonicverses who's under twenty years old and not related to Robotnik must be a Fan."

Victoria swivelled around in her chair to glower at her fraternal twin brother. "Gee, maybe that's because they usually are!"

Bertie rolled his eyes and crossed his legs, leaning back in his chair. If the Neutral Zone had colour, people would have seen that he had brown eyes and black, curly hair. He always had a smile on his face to go with his sense of humour. In this case, nonetheless, he was not feeling very comical though his usual beam was still there. "In case you've forgotten, there are lots of humans that you thought were Sonic Fans but were proven wrong: Christopher Thorndyke, various members of GUN, any applicable resident of Station Square who got too close to the main characters…"

"In case _you've_ forgotten," shouted Victoria slamming her cup of coffee on her desk, spilling several drops, "Robo-Robotnik's created this mess because four very irresponsible Sonic Fans decided to play a game of, 'Let's go to Robotropolis and see what happens when Robo-Robotnik catches us', you jerk!"

Bertie swatted a strand of hair out of his face and leaned forward. "Look, let's say that you're right and that human really _is _a Sonic Fan. But which one? There are hundreds of people who fit her description; female, white skin, blue eyes. The last one is irrelevant as she could have been wearing coloured contact lenses so there are even more possibilities. Add the fact that that Fan might actually be a boy wearing a feminine disguise complete with a voice changer and you've got thousands of stories to check out. How are you gonna do it?"

"By the old tried and true method of process of elimination! How else? Or do you have a better idea!"

Bertie stood, yawning and straightening his tie. "Whatever you think works." He stood up and walked to the office door and opened it yet, as he was exiting, he retorted, "I still think you're overreacting."

He only closed the door in time to avoid getting hit by a flying mug of hot coffee.

--------------------

On the island where Anime Sonic and Tails lived, there was not a living thing to be found except for the plants of the jungle and the occasional crab. Knuckles and Tails were nowhere to be found.

In another brilliant illumination, the eight Sonic Primes materialized on the beach near Anime Sonic's lawn chair, table and umbrella. They gazed around at the landscape.

SEGA Sonic smiled. "Nice place, this is. Reminds me of…"

What it reminded SEGA Sonic of, the others didn't find out because, as he was saying that, he turned around and did a take when he saw what was on the mountainside of the extinct volcano. "Holy…!"

"…smoke!" finished SU Sonic as he too saw it.

"What?" mumbled Anime Sonic, turning to look at what the others were staring at. "Oh. That…"

Arranged on the volcano's side haphazardly were the remains of train cars, a satellite, a rocket, a satellite dish, an airplane and other unidentifiable objects. Judging by the amount of moss and plants growing over them, they had been there for quite a long time.

Archie Sonic gaped up with the others at the various wrecks. "Wow. Looks almost like the mountain that hides the entrance to Station Square in my world except there was only the plane. How in the world did all that junk end up there?"

Anime Sonic grinned and shrugged. "Well, it's quite a long story… You see…" His eyes suddenly widened as he spotted something behind the other Sonics. "Uh-oh. _Duck!"_

The others looked around and when they saw what was heading for them, their eyes enlarged and they hit the sand just in time to allow something to safely pass over their heads, which was followed closely by a shouting Tails.

"Old Man! Old Man, hold on!"

The Sonics lifted their heads up one by one to gawk at the thing that nearly took their heads off. It appeared to be a small, grey plane half the size of a car with a thick trail of smoke coming out from behind it.

The miniature aeroplane swooped by again; not as dangerously close as last time but it still allowed them to catch a glimpse of the pilot.

"'Duck'? You mean 'Owl'," SatAM Sonic joked.

"You mean… 'Old Man Owl'," corrected Anime Sonic dryly.

And so it was an old, male owl. He had brown and white feathers and small ear tufts. Wearing a large blue coat and hat, red pointed shoes and a big pair of thick glasses, he seemed very laughable.

Then they all realized that Tails had been hovering and gazing at them for the last minute or so with eyeballs the size of plates. So they stared right back, though it was hard for a few of them to keep a straight face. After a small number of seconds, Tails finally spoke.

"Oh no! Don't tell me Old Man has a disease that makes his eyesight go bad and now I've caught it as well!"

Fleetway Sonic slapped his forehead exasperatedly and muttered, "Pixel Brain." Happily, no one heard him.

"Relax, Tails," assured Anime Sonic nonchalantly. "They're just visitors from parallel universes, that's all."

"'P-p-p-paralle-lel u-u-universes'?" stuttered Tails. "Really?"

"Hey. If we were hallucinations, would we be able to do this?" Smiling, AoStH Sonic grabbed Tails and gave him a good noogie.

"Ack! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha! Stop it! No! I give up! Uncle, uncle! I believe you!"

AoStH Sonic relinquished his hold and Tails stepped back to take a good look at all eight hedgehogs. "Wow, this is cool! Just wait 'til Knuckles finds out!"

"Where is he, anyway?" queried Anime Sonic as he gazed around again.

"He's looking all over the planet for you. You've been missing since yesterday, you know? Hey, where did you go anyway?"

**Boom!**

"Aaaaaaahhh!" Jumping and screaming with fright, Tails spun in the general direction of the explosion with a look of horror etched in his features, much to the confusion of most of the Sonics. "Oh no, I completely forgot about Old Man!"

"Don't worry, Tails. I've got him right here."

They turned and saw Sonic X stepping out of the jungle, supporting Old Man.

"Oh, Master Sonic, thank goodness!" mumbled Old Man, staring straight ahead. "You know, Tails and Sara have been worried sick. Since you vanished into thin air, a lot of people assumed you had been somehow captured by…Dr…oh my!"

At first, they assumed that the bird's shock had been because he had spotted the other Sonics but then he jumped away from Sonic X and started flapping his wings in a frenzied way. "Ah! I almost forgot why I came here in the first place! Dr. Robotnik's at the presidential house and he's claiming that another Robotnik has ousted him from Robotropolis!"

"Whoa, déjà vu," remarked Tails, sounding annoyed yet concerned. "Does Robotnik really think we'll fall for _that _trick again?"

"I'm afraid he might be telling the truth this time, Tails," stated Anime Sonic, who exchanged nervous glances with the other Sonics.

"Huh?" Tails was baffled. "What are you talking about, Sonic?"

"We'll explain…on the way to the President's! Tails, get the Tornado ready!"

"Right!" With that said, the flying fox took off with a big smile.

Anime Sonic turned to Old Man. "I assume you know the drill, Old Man."

"Of course, I'll take good care of your home while you're away, Master Sonic." The owl pointed at the other seven Sonics. "And I'll especially make sure to water these seven big, beautiful, blue flowers you have here!"

The eight hedgehogs collapsed with astonishment.

----------------------

At the northern end of Planet Freedom was a humongous, dazzling glacier in the formation of a cross-shape bridge that kept the continents of the Land of the Sky connected to each other and presumably to the surface known as the Land of Darkness below. The ice the glacier was composed of was not ordinary, for it would grow back in time if only some of it was destroyed. Nevertheless, should the glacier be totally shattered, the planet's rotation would cause the Land of the Sky to drift into outer space, killing everyone living there.

Unbeknownst to everybody, something bizarre was occurring there: thousands of Chao of every shape and colour were gathering. A third had orbs floating over their heads; another third had rings that looked like halos hovering over their craniums; the last third had spiked balls a few centimetres above their skulls. They were covering the immediate land beneath the side of an icy cliff that had a hole high up and a large outcropping underneath it.

Contrary to popular belief, Hero Chao were not good and Dark Chao were not evil. In actuality, Hero Chao guided souls from the Chaos Force to their bodies and Dark Chao guided souls from their bodies to the Chaos Force.

Of course, no ordinary people could see them doing this; they just saw Hero Chao congregating where a birth was about to occur and Dark Chao gathering where a death was about to occur, thus giving the former a good name and the latter a bad name…not that the Chao cared what other species thought about them.

A movement from the cave made them all turn their attention to it, silencing them. Seconds later, something stepped out onto the ledge.

A very strange creature it was: a five feet tall, blue humanoid that seemed to be made out of water. Three fingers and two toes adorned the ends of its long arms and legs. Between its bright green eyes, the 'horn' and two 'locks' of its head could be seen a pink brain, which was the only visible organ.

It stood on the overhanging rock for a moment, surveying the Chao. It next turned around and gestured to two more beings coming out of the cavern.

Aside from being the same height and having the same basic body structure and observable brain, these two were completely different. One was pink and had blue eyes; its hands had thumbs yet the fingers were combined into one mass like Knuckles' gloves. Two wavy 'locks' flowed down the side of its flat head and a broader one on the back fell to the shoulders. The other was red with yellow eyes and had hands like the first individual except with two cones where the knuckles would be. A pair of devilish horns sprouted from its flat head and so did two 'locks,' larger than the first creature's, from the back.

Individually, to species other than the Chao, they were called Light, Angel and Devil respectively; collectively, to all species, these three were known as the Chaos Triad.

Devil articulated something that could only be understood by its brethren and the Chao. "Is it true?"

Multiple affirmatives were heard from the audience.

"Hmmm… This is not good," noted Angel.

"Indeed. Which is why I need you two," declared Light to the other two, "to prevent any souls from exiting the Chaos Force or their bodies at all costs until that thing is gone from our world."

Or, in mortals' terms…put off all conceptions and deaths.

Authoress' Note: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I based Angel and Devil on their correspondingly named Chaos Chao. Since Chaos, er, Light bears a resemblance to the Light Chaos Chao, I thought that there should be gods that look like the Angel Chaos Chao and Devil Chaos Chao too!

Oh and… (nearly bursts with happiness) …look up Sonic Cult and go to that website! They have the Sonic Mars (later known as Sonic X-Treme) script available for download! You've got to see it! What's so great about this? Well, let's just say I haven't felt this joyful since I found out that SEGA Sonic likes chili dogs too! (swoons from excessive amount of happiness)


	19. Strange Things

Chapter 18: Strange Things

"So this whole country is called South Island, huh?" reiterated SEGA Sonic, looking down. "Wow. In my world, South Island is much smaller."

"How much smaller?" asked Anime Sonic.

"From what I've seen so far, I'd say about nine tenths."

All eight Sonics were standing on the wings of the blue biplane, the Tornado II, that Tails was piloting. It had taken a while for some of them to get used to standing on a constantly moving objects hundreds of feet in the air but once they did, they surveyed the land beneath without feeling not at ease at all.

"How are all these land masses held up?" queried Sonic X. "A Master Emerald?"

"'Master Emerald?'" repeated Anime Sonic. "Never heard of it. Although it does sound like something Knuckles would be interested in. And nobody knows how the Land of the Sky is kept aloft."

"About what Tails said before… What did he mean when he said that Robotnik had tried the same trick already?" enquired AoStH Sonic quizzically.

"Oh, that was when he convinced us that his city, Robotropolis, had been conquered by a robot called Metal Robotnik and that it had…"

"Ack!"

The other Sonics and Tails turned to Archie Sonic, who was looking very pale. "What's wrong?"

Archie Sonic merely stood there and stared ahead, panting hard for a few minutes. Then he articulated, "I…I…I think I know this world."

* * *

"Hmm. I was wondering when he would clue in," commented Irene, staring solemnly at the screen for a second before returning to her comic book.

"Huh? _Now _what are you talking about?" asked Tiffany, turning her attention to her.

"In the Sonicverse of Multiplicity once, Knuckles attempted to alter the timeline to make sure the Dark Legion was never created!" Flynn began to explain, as enthusiastic as always. "He failed, of course, but not before Sonic and the Freedom Fighters experienced a few alternate timelines – one of them was a variant of the Sonicverse of Duality!"

"A few differences being that there was more than one Metal Robotnik with none of them being directly controlled by the real doctor and Sara was a princess," clarified Irene.

'What were the other timelines like?' wrote Mavis on her chalkboard.

"One was where Tails' father, Amadeus, succeeded in stopping Robotnik from ever taking over Mobius; another was where End Game never happened so the original Robotnik still ruled the planet; and yet another one was where Princess Sally had died in that fall during End Game!" answered Flynn.

"I'm glad the last one wasn't permanent," added Lance. "Then there would be ever more bickering between _them."_

Sounds of fighting echoed from outside of the flat along with words that are better left unrepeated.

Irene's glare deepened and she thrust her head back into her comic book. "Worthless inferiors," she muttered.

* * *

SatAM Sonic cocked an eyebrow. "That's pretty weird."

"You're telling me."

At that moment, they were all walking along a red carpeted hallway inside the presidential house. Archie Sonic had just finished telling them about what had to be one of the weirdest things he'd ever experienced.

"Man, if something like that happened to me, I think I'd…" began Tails.

"We're here," interrupted Anime Sonic in a somewhat cantankerous manner.

Now they stood in front of a double set of ornately carved, oak doors. Anime Sonic casually pushed them open.

The eight hedgehogs and single fox beheld an equally-as-lavished room with a lavender rug, large windows and an elm table behind which someone sat.

He was a large human wearing what resembled a white general's uniform, complete with green epaulettes and a blue sash that had three yellow stars and a pink fringe on it. On his head was a mop of finely combed brown hair, along with a moustache and beard. He was bent over his desk writing some paperwork but looked up with a "Yes?" when he heard the door open.

He blinked rapidly for a few seconds then stood up straight, his eyes widening and his mouth agape. _"Wha-what is this?"_

"Well…" Anime Sonic started, looking at the others for a moment with a small grin before turning back to the president. "The thing is…"

_One long explanation later…_

"So that's what's going on," said rotund human as he placed his chin in the palm of his hand. "But are you certain Robotnik's telling the truth?"

"I'm surprised he didn't buy Robotnik's story this time around too," SatAM Sonic muttered darkly to SU Sonic.

"Why not? Robo-Robotnik did do that before," exclaimed SEGA Sonic. "But let's all go talk to the Eggman himself just to be sure. Where is he anyway?"

* * *

"I know it may be hard for you simpletons to believe but, for the last time, I'm telling the truth when I say another Robotnik emerged from a portal with an army of robots and drove me out of my home!"

"A likely story," stated the annoyed gruff voice of a bull terrier in a grey and blue prison uniform. "Especially since you already used it before!"

Anime Robotnik (who looked like Robo-Robotnik) was standing up at the bars of his cell and gripping them hard in frustration. It was bad enough that an impostor had the nerve to come and kick him out of his own city but it was even worse that he had been captured and sent to this prison like a common criminal the moment he set toe in the Presidential House. Well, maybe not _exactly_ like a common criminal… from what he had overheard, this had to be the most escape-proof cell in the entire facility.

His sentry suddenly stood at attention and saluted, staring at somebody beyond his range of vision to the doctor's left. "Sir, Mr. President, sir! What I can do for you?"

"You can unlock that cell you're watching over."

The dog's jaw almost fell to the floor. _"What?_ Sir, are you feeling alright?"

Then he heard the voice of a person he most despised. "That depends; how about you? Are you seeing…double by any chance?" A few snickers.

The guard's eyeballs suddenly looked like they were going to fall out of their sockets any second. "Wh-wh-wh-what is going on here?"

"Do we have to explain this all over again?"

Anime Robotnik's brow furrowed. What it his imagination or did Sonic's voice change in the five-second interval between…

Eight grinning, blue hedgehogs identical to Sonic unexpectedly appeared outside of his cell.

His expression instantly matched that of the canine. A noise came out of his mouth for a few moments that sounded like a guttural "Uh-uh-uh-uh…" Abruptly, the world became fuzzy and seemed to sway.

Then his vision went black.

* * *

"He'll be alright," said the female chimpanzee, unhappy to be ensuring the health of Dr. Robotnik. "He's just fainted…and no wonder!"

She, in company with the doctors, other nurses and patients of the squeaky clean sickbay, didn't know which was more shocking: that Anime Robotnik had been telling the truth for once or that eight Sonics were in their midst (Tails and the President were elsewhere).

"Man, who would have thought a Robotnik could be so faint of heart?" Archie Sonic chuckled at his own bad pun.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! Daddy was right!"

The primary hedgehogs looked around and saw a human, teenage girl with bright, aquamarine eyes running up to them through the doorway of the infirmary. She wore a yellow blouse that went well with her pink shorts and jacket. A pink hat that had two triangular points on top adorned her brunette, shoulder-length hair.

She halted in front of them. "I wished for you to come back safely… I guess I shouldn't have made so many wishes! By the way, in case some of you don't know, my name is Sara!" she giggled.

"Hey!" yelled SU Sonic, rudely pointing at Sara's posterior. "This human has a _tail!"_

The other Sonics looked and saw that she did indeed have a tail; a long, furred, brown one poking out of her shorts. Sara couldn't help but blush.

"Oh, that," stated Anime Sonic as if it was perfectly normal. "That's because her mom's a half-cat, half-human and her dad, who is the President by the way, is a pure human. So Sara is three-quarters human, one-quarter cat."

"You mean a cat married a human and they both had a kid…" started SatAM Sonic in disbelief.

"…then this kid grew up and got hitched to another human, producing an even freakier freak of nature?" finished SU Sonic in incredulity.

They blinked rather stupidly for a few seconds then, with their faces screwed up in disgust, they both pretended to gag in various poses, much to everyone else's annoyance.

"What was her grandparent _thinking_, falling in love and marrying something as heartless and ugly as a human?" asked a revolted SatAM Sonic.

"Hey, stop making fun of my family members!"

"Yeah, you leave her alone or I'll punch your lights out!" demanded Anime Sonic heatedly. "It's not like she chose to be this way. Besides, that tail of hers makes her kind of cute."

"Oh Sonic, you're so sweet!" declared Sara gleefully.

She grabbed Anime Sonic and gave a smooch right on the slightly surprised hedgehog's lips.

* * *

In the Neutral Zone, as you probably might have inferred, there was quite a big brouhaha as soon as Anime Sonic and Sara kissed. On one side, there was a chorus of "Yes!", "Alright!" and "In your faces!" On the other side, there were shouts along the lines of "No!", "Argh!" and "Why you!" And in the centre, many higher pitch voices exclaimed, "Eew!", "Gross!" and "Cooties!"

In Irene's apartment, Mavis, Flynn, Tiffany and Lance heard a very unusual and surprising sound – Irene chuckling.

The four buds turned to stare at her. Irene had her eyes closed and a small, open smile on her face which shifted continuously as she chortled. She continued like this for several more seconds then took a deep breath and sighed.

"If only they would stay like that when they get older."

Authoress' Note: I apologize if this seemed rushed in any way.


	20. Chilling Out

Authoress' Note: I wonder if they could ever make a video game crossover involving at least two different Sonics. It does seem rather impossible. Yet, on the other hand, before Kingdom Hearts came along, I and undoubtedly several others would have thought a video game crossover between Final Fantasy and Walt Disney was even more unattainable.

Chapter 19: Chilling Out

"So…where do you think Robo-Robuttnik will strike first?" AoStH Sonic asked Anime Sonic.

"I've a pretty good idea…and so does my Robotnik, don't you?" he answered, turning to grin cheekily at Anime Robotnik.

"Hmph. How should I know?" retorted the now bedridden, conscious and even-more-irritated-than-before 'doctor.' "It's not like he blurted out his plans to me while I was being thrown out!"

Some of the patients in the room looked at him in irritation for being so loud in what was supposed to be a quiet setting.

"Come on, Robotnik. What's the one place you've tried so many times to annihilate before?" Anime Sonic rhetorically queried.

"…The glacier at the North Pole."

"_What? _You mean you've attempted to blow apart a humongous chunk of ice at the ends of the world before? Even for a Robotnik, that's just stupid," spat Fleetway Sonic in annoyed incredulity.

"For your information, this 'humongous chunk of ice,' as you call it, is the key to the Land of the Sky's existence!" snapped Anime Robotnik.

"Yeah, Sonic," agreed Tails. "That iceberg keeps the Land of the Sky together. If it was destroyed then the Land's continents would drift into outer space. And since Robotropolis is in the Land of Darkness, Robo-Robotnik would be spared and would rule the planet! By the way, what keeps _your _universe's Land of the Sky intact? Must be different if you couldn't understand the iceberg's significance."

Anime Sonic walked up to Tails and rapidly whispered something into the fox's ear. The cub's blue eyes widened, causing the other hedgehogs to smirk. "Wow…"

"So, anyway, the thing is," stated Archie Sonic, "we've gotta get to the North Pole before Robo-Robuttnik does!"

"And what if he's not there?" demanded SatAM Sonic. "What do we do then, wait for him to attack? You know that's not our best event."

"If not then we'll just recruit a few…," paused Anime Sonic, "…'friends' that happen to live there."

"Really? Who?" enquired SU Sonic.

"You'll see. Come on, let's go!"

Thus, Anime Sonic zoomed out, with the other Sonics and Tails following close behind.

* * *

"Hey, Flynn," said Tiffany, turning away from the TV to look at him. "How do characters' voices change? I mean, in our universes, that's explained as hiring new voice actors but how does it work in the Sonicverses?"

"The same way all retconnings do, Tiff: time alteration!" he said with a beam.

"…uh, what?"

"Somewhere, in nearly every universe you can think of, there's something or someone that can change the timeline ever so slightly or a great deal and does so somehow every so often."

"Like…the Time Stones?"

Flynn shrugged and nodded. "Possibly."

"Speaking of acting, did they replace some Sonic actors with second-rate ones in your world too?"

"Why, yes!" he shuddered. "And don't get me started on those amateurs."

"Too right. If I ever get my hands on whoever came up with the bright idea of replacing Edwin Morse, Sonic's actor, with Brad Pitt, I'll wring his or her neck!"

"Now, now, Tiffany, it's not worth… Wait, did you say 'Brad Pitt?"

"Yeah and, as I said, he sucks. The least they could have done was to get someone younger for the part. Why, is he just as infamous in your dimension too?"

Flynn's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Dear God Almighty…" he mumbled.

"It figures; most humans wouldn't know good voice acting or bad voice acting if both bit them on the noggin," noted Irene, fidgeting with her Whacking Stick. "The only reason you two dislike him and/or other persons like him is that sentient species, in general, despise change. In fact, I've heard tell that Leonardo da Vinci, I mean, DiCaprio, a famous actor in some worlds, replaced the performer playing Sonic in the musical in a certain dimension and he was universally loathed by the Sonic Fans and Fanatics of that universe."

Tiffany blinked and looked at Flynn (who was still in a state of shock) then back at Irene again in bewilderment. "Er… Are you saying that Brad Pitt's a famous actor in some worlds too?"

Irene nodded slightly.

Tiffany cocked an eyebrow. "Okay…"

* * *

"Brrrr… It's pretty chilly," commented Shin Sonic, shivering beside the icy bluff's base. "I think I'll warm myself up a bit."

And Shin Sonic did just that by running around a small, huddled group of Chao. The heated friction of his sneakers on the ice though soon melted a circular trench around the winged beings, much to their surprise and amusement.

"Whoops," echoed Shin Sonic's voice from within the ditch when he finished. "I guess I should have expected that, heh heh."

He lightly hopped out. "Now…what is it you all want me for?"

Every Chao looked in one direction so Shin Sonic followed their lead. Some of them seemed to be parting for some apparently invisible person coming towards him. The parting stopped a few meters away and a recognizable figure rose up and formed from a puddle he had just noticed.

"Oh, a Chaos here too, huh? I just hope you're not…whoa; _three_ Chaos?"

For immediately following the Chaos-he-was-familiar-with's transformation appeared two more that looked similar to the first. Still, these new ones were pink and red instead of blue with other subtle differences. He idly wondered for a moment what they would look like if they each acquired seven Chaos Emeralds between them.

Shin Sonic tensed his muscles, unknowing what to anticipate. "I hope you three are not here for a fight because I know fighting one Chaos is bad enough!"

The blue Chaos shook its head then shot its stretchy arm towards the cliff above and knocked off a chunk of ice the size of Sonic, which fell to the ground with a loud thump. Some Chao surrounded the block in a whirl of tiny wings and a sound like that of a buzz saw reached Shin Sonic's ears. When the Chao stood back several seconds later, his eyes widened, impressed with the statue the Chao had carved with just their teeth.

"Hey, that's pretty good! …And, not to mention, I'm sure I've met this thing before."

The sculpture was that of a familiar perched eagle-like bird.

Consequently, Shin Sonic was reminded once again of the way this creature invoked fear in the Chao in the previous world. It seemed that the winged beings of this universe too were afraid of this great bird, whatever exactly it was. Naturally, being unable to comprehend the Chao's language didn't help him at all. But two things were for sure: this monster was dangerous and loathed Robotnik with a passion.

A strange noise from behind Shin Sonic interrupted his thoughts and fixed everyone's attention on the source of it, which was a circular blue portal. Two seconds later, the eight Sonic Primes and this universe's Tails burst from it spectacularly and landed feet-first on the icy ground.

"Man, these Warp Zones are weird," remarked Sonic X, panting a little. "It felt like I was moving at the speed of light yet not budging an inch."

"You better get used to it," declared Anime Sonic. "There are some places you can get to by only using Warp Zones!"

Tails next perceived Shin Sonic's presence and jumped with a start. "Oh wow, another Sonic!"

"Nice entrance," Shin Sonic complimented with a grin at Tails' surprise when they all saw him too. "Long time, no see."

Then (unfortunately) SEGA Sonic spotted the Chaos Triad.

"Hey, look!" he shouted, pointing them out. "It's Chaos and…"

"_Chaos?" _Fleetway Sonic loudly, angrily repeated.

He had noticed the three creatures the moment before SEGA Sonic called out their presence and, though he had thought that Light looked familiar, he hadn't made the connection between it and the Chaos he was familiar with until SEGA Sonic said it out loud. And, now that he thought about it, to him, both were made out of water, both had green eyes, both were vaguely humanoid…and both were monsters.

In that split second, the other Sonics knew they were in humongous trouble. They immediately hid behind a conveniently close at hand boulder while Fleetway Sonic stayed where he was, teeth bared, eyebrows furrowed in rage, fur and eyes turning yellow and red respectively.

"Why in the world is he becoming You-Know-What now?" whispered SU Sonic to Anime Sonic. "There are no sources of Chaos Energy nearby!"

"How the heck should I know?" Anime Sonic angrily replied.

As his transformation completed, Fleetway Super Sonic screamed with animalistic fury. This, of course, really caught the attention of the Chaos Triad as the demonic being came barrelling straight for Light, murderous intention clear in his eyes though they were devoid of pupils.

Authoress' Note: I hope you read that part with the Sonic Fans because it shows my opinion on the stupid uproar over the voice actors getting replaced. But I'm not going to judge which set is better. After all, I'll have you all know that when I first heard Sonic and Tails in Sonic Adventure in a store, I thought they sounded exactly like their SatAM and AoStH cartoon counterparts. Strange, no?


	21. Memorable

Authoress' Note: Alright, boys and girls, I want everybody's lips buttoned about the plots for Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic Rivals because I intend to play through the games and be surprised along the way for once in my life. By the way, that also means I'll be buying a Sony PlayStation 3, a Nintendo Wii and a Sony PlayStation Portable. (listens to everyone's gasps; some die of shock) Yes, I know, it's quite unfathomable buying three consoles of the current generation but I aim to do just that so no complaints!

Chapter 20: Memorable

With blinding speed, the Chaos-Energy-enhanced Holy Hedgehog blasted right through Light's upper body, scattering half of its blue particles everywhere, only for them to immediately return and reform into its torso.

"_I'll kill you, **I'll kill you, I'll kill you!"**_

Light (and its comrades) only looked at the yellow hedgehog in puzzlement as he turned around for another strike; not for the fact that there were nine Sonics but for the sheer amount of hatred in this Super Sonic's eyes. Light was not afraid at all, however; after all, it was incapable of dying or getting hurt (unless this Sonic decided to aim for its brain). But it was inquisitive as to why this hedgehog was attacking it and concerned for the hedgehog's mental wellbeing.

As he neared it, Light rapidly shrank into a featureless puddle which caused Fleetway Super Sonic to miss by a fraction of a millimetre. The other hedgehogs had, by now, emerged from behind their boulder and were running toward the Chaos Triad and the uncontainable hedgehog, determination written on their visages.

Shin Sonic jumped and curled into a buzz saw, heading straight for the empowered insectivore. But Fleetway Super Sonic merely swatted him away like a fly (he crashed into the other Sonics) as he flew at the puddle that was Light once again, still hell-bent on destroying it. He landed in it and started stamping like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

This had no effect on Light though. Still, it was dying of curiosity at this point; it had to find out what was making this insectivore so upset. But first, he had to be halted.

At a twin gesture from Angel and Devil, as many Chao as possible leapt onto Fleetway Super Sonic, pushing him into the air away from Light. Clinging to him mightily, they began to drain his energy. The golden Sonic roared upon realizing what was happening to him and commenced juddering but, it seemed that, for every Chao he shook off, two more jumped on to take its place. Soon it got to the point where nobody (except the innermost Chao, obviously) could see the hedgehog under the erratically flying, rainbow-coloured mass of minuscule bodies.

The Chao next flew off to let Fleetway Sonic fall to the ice on his back a few feet below him, blue yet again.

After a few seconds had gone by, the Holy Hedgehog lifted himself into a sitting position, rubbing his temple with his eyes closed. The other hedgehogs and fox came close to him guardedly, as did the Chaos Triad.

When Light was a measly foot away, Fleetway Sonic opened his eyes which, without delay, glared at the immortal being and he speedily stood up. By this point, though, AoStH Sonic and SatAM Sonic had gotten close enough and grabbed the angry hedgehog by the arms to avert him from assaulting Light all over again.

"Let me at him, let me at him!" he yelled, his feet melting a groove into the ice.

Light paused but for a moment then lifted its right hand and began to move it toward Fleetway Sonic's brow.

"What he's…?" started AoStH Sonic, a little apprehensive at its gesture.

"Don't worry;" assured Anime Sonic, recognizing the motion. "He's just going to play a little mind game."

Then Light's hand touched Fleetway Sonic's forehead.

Instantaneously, Fleetway Sonic's eyes closed and everything from Light's point of view gradually became whiter then the snow of the North Pole, eventually disappearing altogether.

Nearly as fast as it had all vanished, lines, colours and shapes came back. Yet it was altered as Light knew it would be.

The clear, cobalt sky had been swapped with an indigo-shaded one, the sun on the edge of the horizon. The surrounding tundra had been transfigured into a modern, deserted conurbation composed of metal and glass. And a new cast had replaced nearly everybody.

Time was frozen so Light could see everything on its own time for awhile. There was Fleetway Sonic, poised for battle, hardly changed from his present look, along with his world's Tails, looking exactly like his counterpart, hovering high above the vicinity.

A pink, female hedgehog wearing a red band in her spines, gloves, a grey blouse, violet pants and red and white shoes stood near Sonic, a look of anxiety on her features. Right next to her was a grey, male rabbit in a crimson, long-sleeved top, gloves, a pair of blue pants and shoes the colour of blood and snow, wielding a metal staff that widened suddenly at the ends. Placed behind the three was a pink, male pig dressed in a yellow shirt, cerulean pants, gloves and red and white shoes; he was holding a small, metal box in his right hand.

Light perceived that they were all looking at the same thing so it turned around and saw…itself. Of course, it was not really itself but another version. And quite a different-looking one to boot. This one sported four long fingers on each hand and had claws protruding from its six toes. Light could see teeth lining its visible mouth. It was also gaunter then the good member of the Chaos Triad and twice as tall.

In nosiness, Light walked closer to its alternate self to get a better look and…

…it hit it. An emotion that Light had never felt before yet was overwhelming nonetheless. It was difficult to describe this foreign sensation; it felt like it needed to get away from the other creature as fast as possible yet Light's violently shaking body refused to obey its brain's commands.

A few more seconds of this crushing agony and Light finally stepped back, the alien feeling disappearing as he did so.

Light decided that it was done looking around and started time, everything moving vaguely though suddenly at once.

The pig was the first to talk. "All set, Sonic. The problem is, we need the creature to stand _there!" _He pointed towards a large, metallic disc on the ground beside him.

"No problem," replied Fleetway Sonic assertively. "Leave it to me!"

He looked around and his eyes settled on a metallic wagon with eight wheels. "A super-speed spin should be enough to pick up this petrol tanker…" He whipped up a blue tornado by running in a circle around the vehicle. The wind picked it up and carried it over to the menace.

"Hrr?" the monster uttered, puzzled by the object coming toward it.

**Buh-Whoom!**

The force of the detonation threw shrapnel everywhere, prompting Sonic's friends to duck. From the smoke, however, Light saw its other form emerge unscathed and amble toward the disk in the direction of the Freedom Fighters.

"That got his attention!" spoke Fleetway Sonic. "Get ready, Porker; here he comes!"

As the fiend stepped onto the disk, Porker began pushing a round bump on the contraption he was holding. But nothing happened.

The pink hedgehog anxiously called out, "Come on, Porker! What are you waiting for?"

"The equipment's not working, Amy!" stated Porker. "Something's wrong!"

"Look! That cable isn't connected!" Fleetway Tails shouted, pointing at two ropes that had tiny bolts of lightning coming out of their ends. They were both near Light's alternate version (which legs had appeared to become transfixed to the disc).

"Right," replied Fleetway Sonic. "I'll take care of it!"

"But Sonic, remember the creature's strange power?" reminded Fleetway Tails. "It creates unbearable fear in anyone who gets too close!"

Fear… So that was what that emotion it felt was. It heard it was an emotion that mortals felt when they were faced with unknown, large and unattractive objects; where the body would quake, the heart (or hearts) would beat faster and an urge to fly from the danger would arise.

"I've got to try, Tails…" Sonic insisted, bending on the ground, his body quivering. "We may never get another chance this good!"

But he didn't budge any closer. Almost like Light's, Fleetway Sonic's trembling and sweating body rejected his mind's orders even as his hand attempted to reach out to the cables.

"Let me try, Sonic…" suggested Johnny, walking up beside the kneeling hedgehog and now shivering just as bad. "I really think I can do this!"

He crouched on the ground and, with a tremendous amount of effort, put his hands on the ends of the sparking ropes and affixed them to each other.

"He did it!" Sonic spoke in wonder, his eyes wide.

Unfortunately, the abomination had become aware of Johnny.

As he saw the beast's fist move toward him, he only had time to say, in a sparsely perceptible murmur, "Oh n-no…!"

**Thwak!**

With a sound that echoed throughout the whole city, the being hit the rabbit forcibly, sending him soaring off.

"Now, Porker!" Fleetway Sonic directed. "Whatever it is that you're going to do, do it _now!"_

And the pig pushed the nub.

**Fzzzaakkkk!**

Accompanying what sounded like a thunder strike, the abomination exploded, sending parts of its body everywhere. Judging by the jubilant faces of Fleetway Sonic and his friends, they seemed to think that they had won but Light knew better. It knew it would come back; Light wondered if it already had.

"I knew I could do it!" exclaimed Porker excitedly. "I've been studying Chaos Energy for months! All I had to do was…"

"Explanations later, buddy!" Sonic interjected though he was grinning too. "Right now, the important thing is we won! …Hey, where's Johnny? The kid did good. Even _I'm_ impressed this time!"

The Holy Hedgehog looked about him and saw his friend lying on the ground several feet away. Amy and Tails had run towards him to see if he was alright.

"Of course, I'm not too happy with the guy…" he joked as he joined them. "After all, _I'm _supposed to be the hero around here…"

"Sonic…" interrupted Amy quietly and Light could just make out the glistening beads of water leaking from beneath her closed eyelids as she lifted her head before she wiped them away.

"He's okay, right?" asked Sonic in alarm. "He's just a little shaken up, that's all…" But Light noticed tears in his eyes even as he denied what had just transpired.

"He's dead, Sonic…" Amy sobbed. "Johnny's dead."

The last thing Light saw as everything faded to white a second time was Sonic's head hung in guilt – he thought it was all his fault.

* * *

Fleetway Sonic's eyes flickered open, wondering whether he had fallen asleep or not, and he saw Light's hand withdraw. Instantly, he growled and began wearing a hole into the ground again as his attempts to attack Light were held back by SatAM Sonic and AoStH Sonic. 

"Let me at that murderer!"

"'Murderer?'" repeated SEGA Sonic. "Look, I know he drowned hundreds of people but, if he's anything like my world's Chaos, he'll be changed now and he…"

"…_killed _one of my friends!"

The other two (and the rest, except Shin Sonic) were so surprised, they nearly let go of him. _"What?"_

Fleetway Sonic stopped running and inhaled deeply through his nostrils before continuing. "It was weeks ago. Robotnik had unleashed Chaos on Mobius. We were fighting him and, a friend of mine, Porker Lewis, came up with a machine to destroy the monster. But a cable got unplugged and I went to reattach it but…Chaos created agonizing terror in anyone who got too close…so Johnny Lightfoot did it instead but…Chaos noticed him…and struck him…hard." Another lungful of air through his nose.

Now this was completely different. When Chaos had flooded Station Square in their worlds, they had mourned, if only a little bit, for the people that had died. But Chaos had never actually slain someone, let alone a buddy, with his own claws.

Light only stared at Fleetway Sonic for a couple of seconds. Then, remembering seeing others do this whenever their companions were miserable, it reached out its hand once more and placed it, not on the hedgehog's forehead, but on his shoulder. Fleetway Sonic looked up momentarily at Light in slight surprise then turned his head away, unwilling to regard or forgive the one whom he saw as his pal's killer, yet understanding that Light somehow felt a sort of pity for him.

"So, let me guess; these guys are the friends you were talking about that are going to help us fight again Robo-Robuttnik?" enquired SU Sonic, looking interestedly at all three members of the Chaos Triad.

"Yep, he was!" inserted Tails. "We were enemies at first but now we get along just fine!"

"Which ones used…?" began SatAM Sonic, staring first at Angel then Devil.

"And how exactly are they going to help us fight Robo-Eggman?" interrupted SEGA Sonic. "…Are there twenty-one Chaos Emeralds in this world?"

"What kind of question is that?" demanded Anime Sonic, quite annoyed. "Nobody knows the exact number of Chaos Emeralds because they keep getting created, found and destroyed all the time!"

A few of the other Sonics were baffled by this statement. There was quietness for several seconds before Sonic X spoke up. "…You mean Chaos Emeralds can be made…just like ordinary gems?"

Anime Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Has anyone ever told you your universes are weird? Anyway…well? Are you going to help?" he asked the Chaos Triad.

The three beings regarded each other then shrunk into blue, pink and red puddles. They commenced conversing with each other using voices that sounded like bursting bubbles.

A small amount of minutes later, Archie Sonic smiled as the immortals rose up. "They've agreed."

Fleetway Sonic mumbled, "Humph," while the other Sonics and Tails stared at him. "You can understand him?"

"Yeah," Archie Sonic replied. "Don't you remember me telling you about the device in my ear that lets understand any language?"

"Wow! Can I see?" queried Anime Tails, beaming. "I want to know how it works!"

Archie Sonic smirked upon being reminded of his Tails. "Sorry, bro; it's literally grown attached to my brain."

"Awwww…"

"Bloop bloop."

Archie Sonic turned around to gaze at the Chaos Triad, who were puddles yet again. "Hmm, you talking to me?"

Many more bloops.

Archie Sonic nodded, though a little confused. "Okay."

He looked at Shin Sonic. "They said they want you to continue tracking down this, um, gigantic bird. Is that the same one we saw in the last dimension?"

"Yeah," responded Shin Sonic. "I don't know why but they and the Chao seem to fear it a lot."

"After seeing what it can do, I'm not surprised," answered SatAM Sonic.


	22. Deep Trouble

Authoress' Note: I have completed all four stories in Sonic Rivals but I do have a bit of a complaint: No fair! The one time I get the highest ranks on all stages (without even trying) and I don't get a reward? …Say, do you get anything for collecting all 150 cards?

Chapter 21: Deep Trouble

"Here's a riddle," said SEGA Sonic. "What weighs six hundred pounds and constantly gets beaten down yet always bounces back?"

"Dr. Eggman?" guessed Sonic X.

"Close; Dr. Eggman and his Egg-Mobile!"

"That was one lame yolk," commented Archie Sonic, snickering along with the others.

"I liked the first answer better," stated SatAM Sonic with a large grin.

Louder laughter.

The eight Sonics were once again standing on the top wings of the Tornado, with Tails piloting and the Chaos Triad as puddles on the lower wings. They were heading for the entrance to the Land of Darkness.

"…One of you mentioned that Chaos drowned hundreds of people, right?"

This morbid question in the middle of their joviality made the other Sonics stare all the more weirdly at Fleetway Sonic.

"Well, didn't one of you?"

"Well, yeah, I did," confirmed SEGA Sonic.

"And I'll bet it happened in some of your universes too, right?" he asked the others.

Some of the Sonics nodded.

"Then how come you didn't get mad when you saw Chaos? I mean, when I saw him, I became so angry, I turned into Super Sonic and the one in my world had killed only one person."

"Uh… I guess it's because I had already given him a good licking where I came from," answered Archie Sonic, somewhat unsure of himself.

"Same here and besides," added Sonic X confidently yet melancholically, "there's nothing we can do to bring back the people who lost their lives."

Put in SEGA Sonic, "Not to mention, at least, in my universe, Chaos wasn't evil, he was just mad at the world in general for killing the Chao he was protecting."

"'Not evil?' I'll bet," articulated Fleetway Sonic sarcastically. Then his head drooped again. "(sigh)…Still, if it's true, I _guess _I would be no better than that Chaos. But even so, I'll bet that if I hadn't been such a coward, Johnny would still be alive."

Like Light before him, Anime Sonic placed a consoling hand on Fleetway Sonic's left shoulder, knowing how he felt. "Hey. Nobody's perfect; not even us."

A small smile appeared on Fleetway Sonic's face. "Maybe you aren't but I am."

A grin lit up Anime Sonic's visage as well, glad that he was feeling better. "Oh yeah? Well, let's all have a race sometime and find out for ourselves, shan't we?"

* * *

"That's the trouble with other species; they don't believe in the afterlife."

The other Chao nodded and/or affirmed their companion's opinion with murmurs while their humans watched the touching moment unfold onscreen.

"Yep. They just think that, when you perish, you completely cease to exist. That you don't continue to be alive on another plane of reality."

"And they were kinda wrong about Chaos too. Under other circumstances, Chaos wouldn't have minded them being forced to pass away but since that _thing_ was around at the time…"

Not bothering to finish, the Chao who had spoken looked to its left. The other Chao followed suite and immediately shuddered fearfully; they were gazing at a nearby hand-drawn picture of a gigantic bird on the floor.

* * *

"So let me get this straight…" uttered SEGA Sonic. "Chaos Emeralds in this world can be created just like ordinary emeralds?"

"Yeah but they're a lot rarer," replied Anime Sonic. "Wait a minute, where do Chaos Emeralds in _your _universe come from?"

SEGA Sonic shrugged. "I have no idea. I do know that Knuckles' ancestors tried to get them for their own greedy purposes thousands of years ago."

"Funny you should mention that echidna; we're going to get him to help us too since he's a great treasure hunter."

"A treasure hunter? Hmmm…" murmured SU Sonic thoughtfully. "That kind of fits him!"

"So where and how _are_ emeralds made?" queried AoStH Sonic a little impatiently.

"I'm not really sure… I think Knuckles give some long-winded explanation about it once but I couldn't pay attention. I do remember him saying something about Chaos Emeralds mostly appearing in volcanoes. Something about the pressure hardening minerals."

"Uh-oh. How many volcanoes are there on this planet?" enquired Archie Sonic, slightly apprehensive.

"Don't worry. I also heard him say that only a few of those red-hot mountains produce Chaos Emeralds. And besides, Knuckles keeps a big stash hidden somewhere but don't you tell anybody! Robotnik would love to know their location."

"There it is, Sonic!"

Tails' cry prompted the Sonics to look straight ahead at a sight that made those not familiar with it gawp. What appeared to be the top of a hurricane swirled in the layer of clouds ahead of and below them. Lightning continuously flashed in the vortex, followed almost instantly by thunder.

"That's the entrance to the Land of Darkness, guys!" Anime Sonic shouted over the rumble.

"You mean we have to go through _there?" _demanded SU Sonic incredulously.

"You're not scared of a little storm, are you?" SatAM Sonic taunted.

"You will be too if you don't hang on tight!" interrupted Anime Sonic. "There's lots of turbulence around here and in there so grab a hold of something and don't let go! That goes for you too, Chaos Triad!"

Soundlessly, Light, Angel and Devil emerged and took hold of each other and the wing while the Sonics on top did the same. Mere seconds later, the plane did a steep, spiralling dive and disappeared into the airy whirlpool.

* * *

Knuckles surveyed the volcanic landscape below the cliff he stood on, sweating a little from the heat as he pondered his next move. Rivers of lava threaded their ways through newly formed rock and steam spurted sporadically out of fissures in the black ground. Every so often, small tremors shook the area, doing nothing more than rattle a few pebbles thankfully.

"What's up, Knuckles?"

Upon hearing the recognizable voice, the echidna's eyes faintly widened and he turned around, answering, "Not much, Sonic, but where have…"

He stopped mid-sentence, halted by the sight of a grinning octet of Sonics. Standing beside them were Tails and the Chaos Triad, with the Tornado a fair distance away.

Knuckles could only stare at the eight hedgehogs, fox and three immortals, his eyes travelling from one person to another. Travelling around the world, he had seen many bizarre things; paranormal apparitions, an underwater city, meat-devouring flora, structures that could not have been crafted by either living beings or the forces of nature but this one topped them all.

"What in the world is going on here? Either I'm being affected by the heat worse than I thought, Robotnik's come up with a way to make androids that you can't tell apart from real people or you never told me that you were an octuplet!"

Before any of them could respond, a burst of light materialized between them. From within it appeared a shadowy form, developing colours and the shape of a person…apparently standing sideways.

One of the Sonics groaned. "You again? What now?"

The face that could be seen underneath the visor of the helmet looked grave indeed. "I'm afraid we have a serious situation, guys."

"It had better be important," grumbled another Sonic.

"And so it is," the stranger responded. The echidna had to wonder where the advantage was in wearing such brightly coloured armour.

"Well, spit it out, we haven't got all minute!"

"Do you know exactly how Robo-Robotnik and his army are dimension-hopping?"

'Robo-Robotnik?' To Knuckles, that sounded a bit like Metal Robotnik. Wait, 'dimension-hopping?' Could it be…?

"No and should we care?"

"Yes because the Robians of the last world are a part of his army."

All eight hedgehogs' eyes enlarged and it them a few seconds to speak up again. "…You don't mean…?"

"'…that those poor people are here too?' Unfortunately, yes. And not just them but also the ones who got De-Robo-Transmogrified!"

"Say what? But how?"

"Miniscule teleportation devices; Robo-Robotnik has put them on all his allies. Though some of the Robians were transformed back thanks to the De-Robo-Transmogrifier the two professors came up with, that didn't get rid of the tiny transporting machines so they ended up getting sent here along with the Mobians that are still robots!"

"Huh?" Poor Knuckles, of course, looked as blank as a fresh sheet of paper.

The Sonics, however, seemed to become pale. "Oh great! How are we supposed to get the ones who are still robots back to normal and all of them back home?"

"I've got that covered."

With that, the armoured person tossed what resembled a ray gun to the group, which was caught by Tails. "This De-Robo-Transmogrifier has been modified so that anybody its beam touches will be sent home if they don't belong in the universe they're currently in. As a bonus, if they're Robians, it'll also transform them back, killing two birds with one stone. However, if you want to keep from accidentally firing at each other and dispatching your comrades back to where they belong, I suggest you keep the safety catch on when you're not using it. It's the little red button near the trigger."

"Way past cool," remarked one of the hedgehogs in what sounded like awe as he and the others gaped at the weapon.

"I have to go now but I'll very likely see you guys later, okay? Ciao!"

Another flash of light and the strange one was gone.

"Can I use it, Sonic, huh? Can I? Oh please?" requested Tails gleefully as if he had gotten a cool toy.

"Knock yourself out," responded the Sonic that Knuckles somehow recognized as the one he was familiar with. "Just remember what Zonic – that's the guy who just gave it to you – said."

Finally, after being open for such a long time that flies could have buzzed in, laid eggs and buzz back out if it weren't for the climate, Kncukles' mouth closed and he cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me but does anybody mind telling me just what is going on around here?"


	23. Volcanic Chaos

Authoress' Note: If I'm not mistaken, in both Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the Chao in the Chao Kindergarten's classroom are singing in Japanese. Am I right?

Chapter 22: Volcanic Chaos

"Alright, I'll do it," answered Knuckles, "but you'll have to…"

"…pay you back later," finished Anime Sonic, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "I think I know the drill by now, Knuckles."

The entire party were, at this moment, descending into a volcanic crater via ropes, except Tails who simply hovered downward. Perspiration dripped down the bodies of the ten organic beings and a thin plume of smoke rising from the unseen bottom coated them with a fine layer of ash.

"That is one dorky hat," commented Fleetway Sonic, staring weirdly at the one on Knuckles' head. "Where'd you get it, a garbage dump?"

"Hey!" protested the echidna irately, unconsciously grabbing the brim. "For your information, this fedora is a family heirloom, passed down through countless generations of my kin!"

* * *

"I am not surprised," noted Flynn with a grin, "Multi-Knuckles did get that hat from his…er, let's see, um… great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather."

Tiffany gawped at him. "Uh, mind telling us how that's possible?"

"Easy; somehow, guarding the Chaos Emerald that holds up Angel Island makes Guardians live a lot longer than normal people, with some living to at least two hundred years old, although, just by looking at them, you wouldn't know they were that old."

Flynn felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face Mavis, who was hastily scribbling something on her chalkboard. It was only a few seconds before she lifted it up and showed her enquiry, 'What about Tobor? He spent most of his life on Mobius, away from the Floating Island and its Chaos Emerald. So how could he still live well into his hundreds?'

"Good question…" murmured Flynn thoughtfully, placing a hand underneath his chin. "…I think it's either because the Chao Energy had imbued itself into the family line of the Guardians at that point or he kept a source of Chaos Energy with him."

"You know, it's funny," observed Lance thoughtfully, "how Chaos Energy universally lengthens your life or toughens you up. The Chaos Emeralds of Invincibility and Immortality do what their names imply; Mammoth Mogul has lived for hundreds of centuries thanks to a Chaos Emerald embedded in his chest; and anyone who becomes Super also becomes invulnerable."

"And your point is?" asked Tiffany.

"Chaos Energy can prevent people from going to its source, the Chaos Force. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Hmmm… I see what you mean."

* * *

"Phew! I'm hot," stated SEGA Sonic, wiping perspiration from his forehead with the back of his glove.

"Or really? I would have never noticed," said Fleetway Sonic sarcastically, panting.

"I meant figuratively!" SEGA Sonic explained, chuckling.

"Oh. Well, when you put it that way, that's also plain to see," commented Fleetway Sonic with a grin.

"How many Chaos Emeralds did you say we needed to find, Knuckles?" enquired Sonic X, looking down at the echidna beneath him on the rope.

"Just two, I already have nineteen," replied the echidna, looking around the crater through a pair of binoculars. "Be on the lookout for any fissures, Chaos Emeralds are usually found in them, sometimes in sets of two."

Upon hearing that, SatAM Sonic jumped off the rope and ran around the insides of the volcano, searching for and looking through fractures and making sure to stay away from the pool of lava.

Tails peered into a near-horizontal crevice a quarter of the way down that was above the group and just a few meters away from the rope. He yelled excitedly, "I found some, Sonic!"

SatAM Sonic dashed to the chink and halted, grabbing a hold of the edges of the gap. He peeked inside and smiled. "Man, talk about lucky! There's exactly two of them here!"

He attempted to snatch them with his hand but found that, though his fist fit, he couldn't pull the slightly-too-big Chaos Emerald out. After a few minutes of jiggling it around, he withdrew his hand and commanded, "Give me a lift and throw me at this crack, will you, Tails?"

"Right!" the fox declared as he seized SatAM Sonic's wrists.

Meanwhile, Knuckles had been sizing up the aforementioned split. Now, just as Tails tossed SatAM Sonic right at the hole, his peepers widened and he cried, "No!"

Too late. SatAM Sonic curled into a Sonic Spin and sheared through the wall where the tiny cavity used to be. A few seconds later, he reappeared with two, green, brilliant cut gems in his arms and a smirk on his face, standing on the edge of the new opening. "Am I cool or what?"

Before anyone could say anything else, a distinct series of cracking noises sounded off from the area underneath SatAM Sonic, who stared nervously about himself.

"Uh-oh."

With that, a sizeable hunk of rock slid out of its position from under SatAM Sonic's feet and tumbled out of the wall, taking the surprised hedgehog and his Chaos Emeralds with it. The slab's edge fell against the rope, snapping it and sending the others screaming and plunging.

Thinking quickly, Tails zoomed towards the being that was closest to the magma, Angel, grasped its legs and pitched it upwards. Next, he went for SU Sonic, lobbing him up high. This, he managed to continue to do with everyone except Knuckles, who had glided to the wall and was holding on to it, until the rock landed in the molten rock with a tremendous splash. Tails then swiftly landed the Sonics and Chaos Triad safely on the chunk that was vaguely leaning on the sides but not submerged.

Knuckles shouted angrily as he climbed down the rock face in the direction of them, "You idiot, now look at what you've done!"

"Well, excuse me for trying to get a few Chaos Emeralds and for not living in this world, Knucklehead!" retorted SatAM Sonic.

Sudden, loud, mocking laughter caused them to turn their gazes upward.

"Robotnik/Eggman!"

"Well, this is quite a predicament, even for you, isn't it, Sonic?"

There was Anime Robotnik, driving a round, purple, flying vehicle that was just big enough to seat him and perhaps a smaller, extra person. Two yellow, circular headlights that resembled eyes stuck out of the front and blue fire erupted from thrusters attached to the back.

"What are you doing out here and how did you escape from that hospital?" demanded Archie Sonic irately.

"To answer your _second_ question, I got out by lulling them into a false sense of security by pretending I was actually sick then, when they least expected it and left alone with all the other patients sleeping, I snuck out.

"As for your first question, I'm going to subtly convince this 'Robo-Robotnik' to destroy the Land of the Sky without him even knowing that it was me who gave him the idea in the first place! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! So long, Sonic!"

Cackling dementedly some more, Anime Robotnik flew off, leaving the group stranded on the small island.

"Typical Robuttnik," said AoStH Sonic, glancing after the mad doctor. "Always loves to give away his grand schemes."

"That wasn't very smart of him," added Tails. "Doesn't he know that we can easily tell Robo-Robotnik what he just said?"

"And what makes you think he'd believe us, Tails?" enquired Fleetway Sonic sarcastically. "Now fly us out of here, will you?"

The ground shook once more, vigorously enough to send them flat on their bottoms.

"I hate to burst your bubble," uttered Knuckles worriedly as he stood up, "but I doubt we have enough time for that; because judging by the worsening tremors, this volcano's about to blow sky high!"

"There's actually no need to panic; we have our solution right there." Anime Sonic pointed triumphantly at Devil.

Knuckles' eyes enlarged then he somehow snapped his fingers through his gloves. "Of course! And we have the Chaos Emeralds to do it too!"

"Uh… Mind cluing us in?" asked SU Sonic with a raised eyebrow.

"Hold on an instant. Hurry and hand me those Emeralds, will you, Sonic?" instructed Knuckles, holding out his palms to SatAM Sonic.

"Why are you telling _me _to hurry?" SatAM Sonic demanded indignantly as he gave the jewels to the treasure hunter.

Knuckles ignored him and threw the duo of gemstones proficiently at Devil, who simply allowed them to hit and sink into its body.

A luminous, blinding, white light suddenly flashed from Devil's body, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Then, almost as abruptly as it had appeared, the glow faded away, allowing everybody to see Devil.

The taller immortal being's torso had become quite a bit broader. The part of the face where a nose would be had elongated to resemble a snout whereas the two horns on top of its head curved backwards to some extent. Bones now ran down both of its muscular arms and the Chaos Emeralds could be seen implanted in the hands.

Sonic X smiled. "Well, well, just like Chaos, er, Light."

"Devil, help us get out of here safely!" commanded Knuckles.

Devil seemed to hesitate but for a second before striding to the edge of the lava, which, at this point, was bubbling like billy-o. It slammed its hands mightily into the volcanic emission, which hardened into rock, spreading out from its hands until all of the magma was hot ground and the quakes had ceased.

Every Sonic except Anime Sonic was stunned and impressed. Knuckles emphatically explained.

"Each member of the Chaos Triad controls a different element. "Devil has dominance over the ground, Light is in governance of water and Angel wields the power of air."

"And fire?"

Knuckles blinked at Archie Sonic. "What?"

"Who controls the fourth element, fire?" elaborated Archie Sonic. "Some creature named Darkness? Come to think of it, doesn't lava have something to do with fire?"

"Oh, nobody does; there are only three of them: one for each area a species can survive in. Besides, as you've just seen, lava's just super-heated, liquid rock, okay?"

"It'd be incorrect to call them elements though," put in Tails. "After all, water itself is made up of one part oxygen and two parts hydrogen, hence the nickname 'H2O,' so the proper term would be 'compound.' And soil can be composed of many…"

"Can the geology lesson, will you, Tails?" spat Fleetway Sonic impatiently.

Devil then melted into a puddle once more, only this time with two green orbs of light hovering above it. It gurgled something and Archie Sonic turned to it attentively. "Yeah?"

Small ripples undulated across Devil's surface as it and Archie Sonic continued their conversation. "What do you mean? …You what? …Why and how? …You won't tell? Hey, we've seen it before. …Oh, alright."

As Devil reformed itself, SEGA Sonic enquired, "What did he say?"

Archie Sonic's face was a mask of incredulity. "You guys won't believe this but, according to Devil, we wouldn't have been able to die."

"Why?" queried Sonic X, "Is it because this volcano wouldn't have erupted?"

"Nope. Devil said that he and the other two have prevented death from happening for the time being because that gigantic bird we saw in the previous world is here."

Tails and Knuckles echoed, "Gigantic bird?" while the other hedgehogs' eyes widened.

"Say what!?"

"How did it get here?"

"And why should it being here make these three want to get rid of death?"

Archie Sonic shrugged wistfully. "He wouldn't say. I guess it's because this bird is so deadly…and we should know; we almost got barbecued by it!"

"Or maybe that thing brings some kind of plague with it?" wondered AoStH Sonic concernedly.

"Or maybe it makes people talk each other to death!" declared Knuckles heatedly. "Can we get out of here before anything else happens?"

Tails stared at Knuckles. "Wow, Knuckles, you sounded like Sonic there for a moment."

"_What's that supposed to mean?!"_ bellowed Knuckles and Anime Sonic at the poor fox.

"Uh, nothing! Grab a hold! I'll, um, fly you each out of here!"


	24. Paranoia Factor

Authoress' Note: Alright, alright, I had a Writer's Block the size of Milwaukee! Oh well, at least I'm back now.

Finally, Sonic and Mario appear in, not just one, but two video games together (no, the Speedy Gonzales pirate doesn't count)! The odds of all eight Sonicverses appearing in one video game have increased astronomically. Strangely, in Super Mario Galaxy, there's a level called the Egg Planet Galaxy; switch the first two words of the name around and you get 'Planet Egg,' a term used in the third season of Sonic X to describe the life force of a planet. What's more, both of these take place in outer space. Pretty bizarre, huh?

Chapter 23: Paranoia Factor

"Whew! I think I'm still sweating!" SEGA Sonic wiped his forehead.

"_I _think that's because you're standing too close to Devil," proclaimed Fleetway Sonic irritatedly.

The whole group were now resting on the outskirts of a grove of trees that was quite a distance away from the far yet visible, newly erupting volcano.

"That was cutting it just a little too close if you ask me."

"Aw, it wasn't that bad," Archie Sonic simply brushed it aside. "We've all been in worse situations before, haven't we, guys?"

"It's getting late, everyone," declared Knuckles as he commenced rummaging around in his bag. "We'd best set up camp and leave off getting more emeralds until tomorrow."

"How can you tell it's late?" enquired AoStH Sonic as he looked up at the bottom of the Land of the Sky. "You don't have a watch and I don't see any gaps up there!"

"Circadian rhythm."

"Say what!?" SatAM Sonic exclaimed.

Knuckles sighed and rolled his eyes. "Internal clock. You know, it's something inside you that helps you fall asleep at the same time every night and wakes you at the same time every morning."

"Oh, uh, right."

* * *

"Bwa ha ha ha!" cackled Robo-Robotnik maniacally. "This is all going so well! I have a whole city to rule instead of one fortress right from the very start! A pity that the other me didn't rule the entire world though."

The city in question was named Robotropolis just like his old homestead; however, it was radically different. This metropolis had various sources of lights all over the place so when evening fell, the city actually appeared beautiful. Right in the centre of the capital, a certain series of illuminations dotting the largest structure, which was its leader's headquarters, shone in an outline of the Robotnik of this dimension.

"I'd better have those lights changed so the image will look more like me. Maybe add some colour as well," mumbled Robo-Robotnik to himself as he stared at it, palm under one of his chins. He was standing at a wide window in the aforementioned biggest building, affording an extreme close-up view of the depiction from the back.

"Hey, Doc! Can you add me too?"

"Hmm?" The obese man looked down to his left to see Evil Sonic standing there, looking gleeful.

"I said, could you put a picture of me up in lights too? After all, a face as handsome as this deserves such treatment!"

"The treatment I say your face deserves is a good evisceration!" stated Robo-Robotnik angrily as he rounded on the now-bewildered hedgehog.

"Huh? What'd I do?" Evil Sonic held out his arms in a placating gesture.

"Let me think about it for a moment," answered Robo-Robotnik mordantly, hand underneath his jowls once more. "Oh yes… You let all eight of your counterparts escape!"

He jabbed his finger into the rodent's nose pointedly, making Evil Sonic clutch it in mild pain.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Evil Sonic's voice came out slightly funny, pretty muffled and quite indignant. "If that weird-looking Sonic hadn't decided to 'drop in,' I would have made you and me eight new slaves! Besides, I was the one who caught them in the first place!"

The would-be dictator growled. "Don't forget that I can have _you _turned into a slave anytime, Evil Sonic! So I suggest you smarten up and quickly do something that will more than make up for your utter failure."

Fuming, Anti-Sonic stormed from the circular room, muttering under his breath.

Likewise, Robo-Robotnik turned to a computer terminal to continue some needed work…only for his stomach to rumble. Cursing his organic body and wishing he had his robotic body (and, for some reason, the thought of reprogramming a Robo-Transmogrifier and using it on himself not occurring to him), he got up and walked to the room's only exit, intending to get something to munch on.

Suddenly, the shadow of a bird of prey with wings outstretched threateningly appeared in the doorway.

The so-called doctor's eyes bulged and jaw dropped, halting immediately. The silhouette loomed bigger and he slowly backed away in absolutely palpable terror, face nearly instantly soaked with sweat, heart pulsating rapidly and mind racing like mad. 'Oh no, that thing has found me!' he thought. 'I'm going to be devoured ali…!'

His robotic daughter rounded the corner, carrying a mass of jagged metal in her arms that, by some fateful coincidence, had the vague appearance of the outline of a bird. "Several robots have been getting too close to the gigantic gears in factory #4, Father, and…" Mecha finally noticed the Eggman taking several deep breaths. "Father, is something the matter?"

Robo-Robotnik wiped his brow a few times with relief. "Whew! P-p-p-please, M, could you just take away that pile of junk? Er, incinerate it for your daddy?"

Puzzled yet obedient, his robotic daughter exited the room, taking away the frightful outline.

The obese human wiped away the sweat from his forehead and sat down heavily in a cast-iron chair, puffing from the rush of adrenaline.

After taking a few minutes to calm down and think things over, he looked up to a nearby terminal and said, "ADAM, when you're done with your upgrades, do Father a favour and have some anti-aircraft missile silos installed all over the city."

* * *

A green tent had been erected and several sleeping bags were laid on the ground outside it for the hedgehogs and fox since it was Knuckles' and only he would fit inside. To compensate for the lack of roof, camp was installed under a tree with large, spreading branches, offering some protection from the elements.

"But, Knuckles, there are no clouds down here," Sonic X pointed out when they were told this.

"Oh yes, there are!" retorted the echidna. "You just happened to be here on a particularly clear day; many areas of the Land of Darkness only receive of small amount of sunlight at a certain time of day which means that it takes a long time for the heat of the sun's rays to evaporate enough water to form a cloud floating beneath the Land of the Sky."

"You mean it actually rains down here?" questioned SU Sonic in a puzzled manner. "And the sun shines too?"

"Of course it doesn't," replied Anime Sonic sarcastically. "Lots of plants can grow without sunlight or water, you know!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh."

* * *

Several minutes later, eight Sonics and one Tails were snug inside their sleeping bags whereas the Chaos Triad, who didn't sleep, stood guard at the edges of the small clearing in which their camp was situated (how and why Knuckles managed to fit them all inside his sack was a mystery to them; he merely shrugged and muttered something incoherent, the words 'instant' and 'water' barely audible). The fox was already snoozing despite the blue spiny mammals conversing loudly.

"Hmmm… First time I slept out in the open without seeing any moons, stars or clouds," AoStH Sonic mused, staring up at the natural roof.

"Don't you mean 'moon,' as in singular?" corrected Fleetway Sonic.

"No, I meant 'moons.' …Uh, my planet has two of them."

"Heh heh… Excuse me," uttered SatAM Sonic as he stood up with an embarrassed grin plastered on his visage. "I need to use the little hedgehog's…um, bush."

He strode off purposefully through the foliage, disappearing from the others' views.

AoStH Sonic blinked at the spot where he vanished and continued, "Yeah, as I was saying, my planet has twin moons orbiting it."

"Really? My home planet has only one… well, half of one, actually," SEGA Sonic corrected himself. "Ever since Eggman used the Eclipse Cannon on it…"

"Oh yeah, that happened where I come from too!" affirmed Sonic X. "Except…"

**Crash!**

The Sonics jumped right out of their sleeping bags.

"Oh no, you don't!"

Tails was jolted out of his slumber.

"Ow! Let go of my arms!"

Knuckles leaped out of the tent, fists at the ready. "Where's the battleground?!" he demanded.

The Chaos Triad motioned the mortals over to where they were grouped together, which happened to be the spot where SatAM Sonic had gone through to answer nature's call. The sounds of bedlam had come from directly behind it.

"Sounds like he got interrupted right in the middle of it," snickered SU Sonic as they brushed aside the brush.

"Actually, I didn't. I only said that so our spy wouldn't think I was onto her…although I honestly didn't realize who it actually was!"

Anime Sonic gaped. "Sara!? What on Planet Freedom are you doing here?!"

The girl, of course, appeared rather miffed, seeing as a hedgehog who she, in a way, considered her boyfriend was holding her arms behind her back and sitting on top of her. Roughly pushing SatAM Sonic off of her, she stood up, dusted herself up and responded heatedly, "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Especially since I thought I'd come and give all you guys a hand!"

Anime Sonic frowned. "Forget it, Sara, it's far too dangerous and…"

"So this is the thanks I get?! Hmph." She turned away from them in a huff. "Well, I guess it _is_ a bit dangerous, considering you eight _are_ attacking innocent ladies…"

"Well, no wonder," replied SatAM Sonic in a clipped tone. "Snooping around like that, it's your own…!"

"Can it, will you!?" interrupted Archie Sonic crossly, who then gazed apologetically at the girl. "Hey, um, Sara, we're sorry that you got attacked but we can't be too careful; Robo-Robuttnik's 'bots might be around."

"Which is all the more reason why you shouldn't be here," declared Anime Sonic in an irritated fashion. "He probably has his troops out in droves searching for us. And the last thing we want is for you to become one of them."

Sara demanded, "Hey, what makes you think I'd betray you!? ("That does sound likely," whispered SU Sonic to SatAM Sonic humourlessly) Just because I've been sometimes forced to be with this dimension's Dr. Robotnik whenever he tried to kill you doesn't mean…"

"I meant unintentionally!" Anime Sonic rolled his eyes. "His forces have a weapon called… What was the name again?"

"The Robo-Transmogrifier," informed AoStH Sonic.

"Right, the Robo-Transmogrifier. Anyway, Dr. Robo-Robotnik's droids are each armed with this gun that can transform whoever it hits into a robot that's completely loyal to the doc's cause."

"Ack! That's horrible!" Sara shrieked, eyes wide with terror. "I don't want my skin to become grey and hard!"

"Then go home right now!" commanded Anime Sonic. "Those 'bots are pretty accurate so only we would be fast enough to…"

"Hey, wait a minute, what's that?" queried Sara, peering closely at one of Sonic X's sneakers. "What's that tiny thing sticking out of your sock?"

"What, this?" answered Sonic X as he pulled the grey object out of the cuff of his footwear. "It's a De-Robo-Transmogrifier, shrunk for easier transportation. It can turn back anyone who's become a robot…"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Anime Sonic shouted desperately a moment too late.

"Oooh, let me look at it!" squeaked Tails excitedly as he reached for it even as Sonic X stretched his arm away.

"Wow!" squealed Sara delightedly. "Then I don't have to worry about becoming a robot because then I can be changed back!"

"I said you're not coming and that's that!" reiterated Anime Sonic.

"Oh so you haven't been paying attention to how I've improved at kickboxing after all these months, have you?! Well, watch this!"

She looked around for an adequate target, settled on a rock the size of a toaster oven and delivered a hammer kick to it, splitting it right down the middle. The other Sonics' eyes widened perceptibly, causing Sara to smile proudly.

"See? Imagine what would happen if a robot got hit with that! I'll bet it'd break into a gazillion pieces!"

"You know, bud," stated AoStH Sonic, "I'm starting to think she might hold her own…"

"Don't you dare side with her!" Anime Sonic snapped. "Oh, okay, if that's the way you want it, we'll have a vote!"

SatAM Sonic, SU Sonic, Anime Sonic and Fleetway Sonic voted no whereas Archie Sonic, AoStH Sonic, Sonic X and SEGA Sonic voted yes. When they asked Tails and the Chaos Triad, the former stammered that he couldn't decide while the latter made it clear in their own way they didn't care whether she came along or not.

Thus all mortal eyes turned to the one who hadn't yet voted. "Well, Knuckles?"

Knuckles commenced perspiring slightly, feeling the pressure of his decision weigh down upon him. "Uh, I dunno? I think I'll go with Tails' decision."

"Forget it, Knucklehead," grinned SEGA Sonic. "We're tied so you have to break it for us. What will it be? Make her go back home or let her come with us?"

Before the poor echidna could respond, Sara knelt down beside him and planted a kiss right on his left cheek, prompting Knuckles to turn redder, the Sonics to snicker and Tails to cover his eyes.

He appeared dazed momentarily before abruptly standing at attention and saluting smartly. "Right, I say Sara comes with us!"

Anime Sonic slapped his forehead and the other Sonics' jaws dropped open. Tails cocked an eyebrow and the Chaos Triad looked at each other. Of course, Sara was jubilantly whooping and cheering. "Woohoo, yeah, this is great, okay, I rock! Come on, Sonic! Let's go beat up that other Robotnik! Oh and thank you, Mr. Mole."

Knuckles winced. "For the last time, Sara, I am an echidna, _not_ a mole."

Sara smiled. "I know. But 'mole' is so much easier to say and spell."

"Then call me, 'Knuckles,' alright?!"


	25. Reset

"What do you think it does?" The little boy asked his friend, a little girl.

"I don't know," she answered, gazing at the lever embedded in the wall with deep fascination. "Let's pull it and see what happens!"

The two children each grabbed one side of the lever and began pulling it downward.

Just then, Victoria Hollingsworth rounded the bend and her eyes widened in surprise. "Wait…!"

Immediately, the little ones did just that at the sound of the boss' voice, the lever left in the middle position.

Victoria then thought over what she was going to say for a moment then stated, "On second thought, pull that lever down all the way."

And that's just what happened.

Many rewinds later, things were pretty much what they were like at the beginning of this story… Only things were going to be a little different this time…

A/N: This story's getting remade and I'll be much more prepared this time; especially once I finish my SpongeBob SquarePants fic. Dun dun dun!


End file.
